Harry Potter and the Presently Past Read the Books
by stelladelnordxd
Summary: During Harry's fifth year, a letter arrives on Dolores Umbridge's desk, with five books. Curious, and wanting to crush Potter, she reads the letter, and then rushes to the Great Hall, and soon, settles down with all of the students, professors, and many surprise visitors just who is that dog? and starts reading Potter's life story. Starts with PS. AD/MW/GW/SS Bashing.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note**: Alright, guys, welcome to the story, Harry Potter and the Presently Past Read the Books. I realize that this general idea has been done many times, but mine will, hopefully be different. However, just in case it gets deleted, I will also be posting it on my livejournal account (think4paperinkw) so there's always a backup. This will not be canon after the fifth book, and therefore, the couples will not be canon, either. Couples are obvious if you look on my profile page, but in case you don't, the main ones will be James/Lily, Harry/Hermione, and one-sided Severus/Lily with a hint of Sirius/Harry bonding and Fred/Harry friendship. The first chapter is just an introduction to how the group gets reading the story. Takes place during the fifth book, before Christmas.

I hope you guys enjoy this, wherever you read it. Don't be afraid to PM me or anything with questions, and I'll try to answer them ASAP.

As for updating stories, I'll be posting the first three chapters immediately, as they're already typed up, _**however**,_ I do not have my own working computer any more, and therefore, use my mom's when I can. I'll still try and update regularly, but it might not always work out. I'm also starting college this fall, so who knows how busy I'll be. However, this story will **not** ever be abandoned, on hiatus, or forgotten about. I plan to see it through! Enjoy!

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Albus Dumbledore was currently sitting at the High Table, talking to Minerva McGonagall when it happened. The doors to the Great Hall were forced open in a very loud slam and bang, with the Undersecretary, Dolores Umbridge, storming through them. As she walked rather quickly to the table, Albus couldn't help but notice that her cloak was trailing behind her in a pink blaze, with her face in a controlled mask of fury and bitter sweetness, with a smirk on her face that Albus knew would only bring trouble. Next to him, he could feel Minerva tense as she spotted the Ministry worker, and shortly afterwards, Albus realizes that there is a trail of people behind Umbridge. Right behind her was the third oldest Weasley kid, Percy. His glasses seemed to be skewed, and his clothes, which were obviously meant to be tight against his body, were ruffled and not tucked into his pants, showing that the kid was obviously worried. Behind him, was none other than the Ministry of Magic; Cornelius Fudge. Cornelius was obviously in a state of happiness as his walk was almost like a jig and he had a small smile on his own face, with an air of confidence in him. Behind him, shockingly enough was Amelia Bones. Madame Bones was clearly confused as she walked up to the table behind everyone else, looking at Albus square in the eye whilst biting her lip.

It wasn't until the group finally arrived at the table and Umbridge had slammed the table that Albus realized she had been holding a stack of books of various widths. Albus eyed the five books warily, wondering what the pages held within, and why Dolores would be so happy about said books.

"Do you know what these books contain, Albus?" Dolores asks, using her fake sweet voice, causing nearly every teacher at the table to cringe in annoyance. Albus looks up at Dolores briefly, a twinkle in his eyes small but there, and it isn't until he answers that he realizes that professors are listening to him adamantly.

"Why no, Dolores, I don't believe I know what the books hold within them." Albus chuckles, watching as Dolores' face turns a dark shade of red out of anger. Albus watches as Dolores places her hands on top of the books before briefly turning to look towards Madam Bones, who nods quickly.

"Albus, I have a list here of all the people we need in the Great Hall, not including the students."

"Not including the students, you say?"

"Yes Albus. Call them down here now, and then I'll continue by telling you the other people needed." Amelia Bones finishes, and Albus can only feel his pulse quicken in rapid succession, with worry on what this could possibly be about.

Within minutes, his wand is by his cheek; he's uttered the _sonorus_ spell and is currently asking all of the students to come down into the great hall for an important discussion, before using the _quietus_ spell to silence him. Shortly after, Albus can hear the beginnings of the students making their way to the Great Hall, but it isn't until the students are in the main hall that Albus can hear the confusion in their voices as to why they were called down so early in the morning. It takes a good thirty minutes for everything to settle, and all of the students to make their ways to their tables, but once they do, everyone stares at Albus, expecting him to continue, and most importantly, to explain what's going on,

Albus though, looks towards three very important students – Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley – who are currently sitting at the Gryffindor table and glaring at Umbridge, who has appeared to have summoned her own table, sat in the middle of it, and taken charge. Albus doesn't mind this, of course, he's all for self-expression and rebellion, but when Harry glances at him, he looks away and notices the boy's eyes squint in anger. He has to remind himself that it's the best for Harry if he does this, just like everything else, but it takes him a couple of times to remember.

"Earlier today," Albus hears, as he comes to from his thoughts, his eyes flicking up towards Umbridge, who has _hem hem_'ed many times between them.

"Earlier today, I was looking for a way for the truth to be revealed.I had been sitting at my desk, hoping against all hope that the lies Potter –" At speaking this name, it is clear that Umbridge has snapped it, clearly not pleased with the boy – "has spoken, could come to fruition, be revealed, and he will be known as the liar I know he is." Umbridge finishes, a gleam in her eyes that makes all the students shudder in fear.

"And surprisingly, after thinking this, a sudden green light had appeared on my desk, bright enough for me needing to block my eyes from it. Once the light had gone, I removed my hand to find these," Here, Umbridge brings the five books in front of her, their covers and titles gleaming from shine.

"Not only were the books right in front of me, but so was a note that explain everything. Amelia, if you may." Umbridge finished, looking towards Amelia, who could only nod before she looked down at the letter in her hands.

Albus, who is closest to Amelia, can see the writing on the parchment, but not see enough of it to know what it says. However, he can see that the ink is familiar, splotchy, and that the parchment is stained with what looks like a mixture of blood, tears and grime. He can tell by the way that Amelia, in her gray cloak and formal pants, looks at the letter, that she's read it enough times in the short time she's had it to know it off by heart, and be completely confused, intrigued and committed to seeing it though by it. She takes a deep breath, before she begins to read what the letter contains.

"_Dear Hogwarts Students, Professors, and Ministry Employees,_

_You must excuse us for doing this, but too much has happened in the war that the group of us cannot forgive. You see, we are from the future. No, we are not far from the future – only three years ahead, truthfully – but we have each experienced pain, loss, grief and hurt like no other. And all of that pain could have easily been avoided, if the right people had known what it was that was not only true, but that needed to be done._

_Therefore, we have decided to send you the five following books, about your fellow schoolmate, Harry Potter: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire and lastly, Order of the Phoenix. We would like to say before we get into everything else that we are sorry to Harry, for these books not only detail is first five years at Hogwarts, but his thoughts and emotions as well, and we know how much you hate the attention. For that, we hope you can forgive us._

_Unfortunately, we found that the only way to do this properly was to send the books to the toad of a witch, Dolores Umbridge and her Ministry minions, Percy Weasley and Cornelius Fudge. We are not thrilled with doing this, but we have made special enchantments on the books so that they (and here, I swear on my magic) tell the truth and only the truth of what happened, like the truth serum itself would, only be opened by either Amelia Bones, who has remained neutral in the battle of wills between the Ministry and Albus Dumbledore, or Minerva McGonagall, who all four of us trust with our lives (and our intelligence!), will not be allowed in the hands (to be read or carried) of Dolores Umbridge, Cornelius Fudge, and Percy Weasley. If they are to grab, hold or touch it, a bubble will form around the books and they can hold the set through the bubble itself, and last but not least, will only be able to be read if the following people are involved in the reading (whether by being included in reading the books, or listening in on the reading of the books, which is to take place in the Great Hall): Students of Hogwarts, Dolores Umbridge, Percy Weasley, Cornelius Fudge, Amelia Bones, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks, Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, Rubeus Hagrid, Fillius Flitwick, Cuthbert Binns, Pomona Sprout, Madam Hooch, Poppy Pomfrey, Remus Lupin and his dog, Snuffles (whose true identity shall be later revealed), Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Viktor Krum, Lucius Malfoy and his wife Narcissa, Rita Skeeter (if only she swears to not report this), and two very important ghostly figures which will be told to Albus Dumbledore, and Albus Dumbledore only, and who will sit beside this man also. We feel that you should also make sure the following students are at the great hall, other than the infamous Golden Trio: Fred and George Weasley, alongside their younger sister, Ginny, Neville Longbottom, Draco Malfoy, Cho Chang, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Luna Lovegood, Susan Bones, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan._

_We understand that this letter is getting atrociously long (but what do you expect when I am the one that is composing it?) but we still have few things (well, rules) to mention. Seeing as four of these books have actually taken place in the past from where you guys are currently in the timeline, professors are unable to take away points, give points, or give detentions to any students who have been found doing things they should or should not have been doing. The same goes for the Ministry – you may not arrest or apprehend anyone until all of the books are completely finished, and you have a sufficient amount of evidence that could be used in a fair trial. Not only that, but you are also unable to take anything away from any person that you feel breaks the law, even if it does not do so._

_We ask that the current Muggle Studies professor write down anything in the books that they believe will be asked about by anyone who does not know what it means, and lastly, that a new person read each chapter, thus allowing everyone a fair shot at reading the books, except of course, for the two ghosts, as they cannot actually read a corporal object._

_We thank you for your time in listening to our letter, and reading these five books. Once you are done with them, they will immediately come back to us future kids, and the current kids will have a very important decision to make: Change the future, and the way the battle ends up, or continue the way they are going, losing too many people that are important to not only them, but their strength and will against Voldemort . Please, make the right decision and remember to stand up proud._

_Farewell, for now,_

_HJP & HJP; RBW & LW; NL & GML._

After Amelia had finished reading the letter, all of the Great Hall had been completely silent and in awe, not only wondering who the initials belonged to, but why the people wanted all of the students of Hogwarts to know the details about Harry Potter's life. It was then that the whispers began in the great hall, everyone wanting to know just what Potter's life was like, and just how much of it was real and true, or a complete lie.

Albus looked over at the 'Golden Trio' as they were so coined, and noticed how pale Harry Potter appeared to be, with his arms encircling himself, and his best friends flanking his sides. Hermione Granger, who Albus believed had a relationship with Harry, was currently rubbing her hand along Harry's back while Ronald Weasley had his arm slung around Harry's shoulders in a comforting act. Before Albus could continue with his thoughts, however, Amelia came up to him with the parchment and leaned in close.

"Would you like to know the two ghosts, Albus?" While he had a complete twinkle in his eyes, and an idea on the name of the ghosts, he nodded his head anyways and conjured up two chairs to be placed next to him.

"James and Lily Potter," Amelia whispered, and when Albus looked up with a smile, he knew that maybe the reading of these five books would not be so bad.

Quite suddenly, almost as quick as the books had probably appeared, several blue lights appeared and then flashed away, leaving in their trails, the corresponding people that had been mentioned in the letter that were already not at Hogwarts. Looking around, Albus could see many of the people mentioned, and was not surprised to see Remus and _Snuffles_ making their way up to see Albus, because by doing a quick check behind him, Albus could most definitely see the ghostly figures of James and Lily Potter. He knew everyone was instantly confused, but before he could do anything, Remus and Sirius had made their way up to the table, and were looking at James and Lily in shock.

Before anything could get out of hand though, Albus allowed Amelia to re-read the letter, which then caused everyone to understand. Albus couldn't help but notice that Sirius had let out a small whimper at James and Lily, and being unable to sit so close to the couple, nudge them as a hello, before he made his way towards his godson.

He watched as Sirius sat next to Harry in his dog form and put his head on Harry's thigh, giving him a small hello lick. He continued to watch as Remus sat next to the two of them, Harry grin and James and Lily take their seats, with Minerva on his right, and Lily next to him on his left, with James next to her, and ending up between his wife and Severus.

After a quick glance at Severus, Albus could only sigh in disappointment as he saw the glare of hatred making it known in Severus' core. Albus could only hope that these books not only brought out the best in everyone, but also allowed everyone to finally learn the truth about Harry and his home life.

It was then quite a shock to hear the infamous _hem hem_ from Umbridge, and when he looked over at her, he could see the grin on her face like no other.

"Shall we get started then?" She asked sweetly, and after hearing several nods of ascent and agreement, Umbridge pushed the books towards Albus (although quite unhappily so) and allowed him to begin reading the first chapter of the first book, with everyone in the great hall on the edge of their seats in anticipation.


	2. Chapter 2

"**CHAPTER ONE" **Albus Dumbledore began, before continuing onwards with, "**THE BOY WHO LIVED**".

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say**

**that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. **

"What's so good about being normal?" A first year Hufflepuff asked confusion in her face at the mere idea of it.

**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious,**

**because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.**

"Of course they didn't," Harry could be heard mumbling.

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made**

**drills. **

At this, many people looked towards the Muggle Studies professor, who had not yet noticed she was being stared at, as she was currently writing down 'drills' onto her list.

**He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, -**

"Very attractive," Fred stated with a snort

- **although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had**

**nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. **

At this, Lily couldn't help but remember how much her sister liked to spy, and had to close her eyes briefly in order to not miss her sister.

**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.**

"I'm pretty sure there are plenty of finer boys throughout the world," Remus whispered, causing Harry to smirk slightly.

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. **

At this, many people were heard shouting 'what was wrong with the Potter's?' causing Harry to blush and look down in embarrassment.

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, -**

With these words, Lily only felt sadness at the loss of someone close to her, someone who was considered her best friend before Hogwarts.

**- because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband –**

Many shouts were heard here too, and if possible, Lily's sadness turned instantly into anger at the thought of anyone calling her James good-for-nothing.

**- were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

"Dudley would do swell if he mixed with a child like you!" Hermione whispered furiously, causing Harry to grin and squeeze her hand in appreciation.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, **

"Who would want to pick out a _boring_ tie?" Someone asked near the Slytherin table.

**and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.**

"Brat!" Many people, including professors, whispered.

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window. At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls. **

More shouts of brat were shouted throughout the great hall, causing many people to laugh.

**"Little tyke,"**

"Little? Are you serious?" Fred snorted, which turned into a full throttle laugh when Snuffles barked at him in reply, despite many people being confused about what was going on.

-** chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.**

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar - a cat reading a map. **

Many people who had gone through McGonagall's animagus class looked at her while whispering about whether or not the cat was an animagus.

It was here that Minerva blushed, causing James and Lily to laugh in response.

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen - then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? **

"You must be going crazy, old lard," George interrupted, faking sympathy while shaking his head. Harry laughed at that before he went back to lightly petting Snuffles.

**It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. **

"Definitely crazy," Fred stated.

**As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive - no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs. Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. **

"Surprised his brain is large enough for anything to be in his mind," That was, surprisingly enough, Neville, who in turn, had many people at the Gryffindor table stare at him in shock.

**As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day. But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. **

"What's so strange about cloaks?" Pansy Parkinson muttered, her face scrunched up in confusion. Hermione could tell that many people thought the same time, and she sighed before replying.

"For muggles, cloaks are terribly out of fashion. It's why we're meant to wear muggle clothing when in their world." She saw many of the people who had been curious open their mouths in understanding before she sighed one more and turned toward Harry so she could listen and watch his reactions.

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes - the getups you saw on young people!**

"Dursley can't bear any sort of people," Harry mutters, his fingers clenching the fur on Sirius' dog form, causing him to look up with concern in his face.

**He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel -**

Many people looked at the table and saw the Muggle Studies professor writing down some more on a parchment.

**- and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; **

"Why would someone be enraged about whether or not someone would be young or old?" A third year Slytherin asked, with many people shrugging their shoulders.

**- why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt - these people were obviously collecting for something... yes, that would be it. **

More scratching from the professor was heard at this point.

**The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills. **

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. **

"That's boring," Lee Jordan was heard muttering, with many others nodding their heads in agreement.

**If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open- mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never**

**seen an owl even at nighttime. **

At this point, even more people were confused with the muggles in the book. Why didn't any see owls on a constant basis, even at night? After looking around for a minute, Harry decided to answer for them.

"Muggles don't use owls to deliver their mail like we do. Instead, they use humans to collect the mail from each person's house, with said mail being delivered every day except Sunday. This little piece of information will be somewhat important later, so that's why I'm telling you now," Harry finished, taking a deep breath and a quick sip of his pumpkin juice before looking at Dumbledore to continue, getting angry when the Headmaster looks away from him.

**Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more.**

"Nice to know he likes shouting," Someone mumbled, many tables hearing it.

**He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road -**

"Woah, what," George stated

"On Earth is," Fred interrupted

"Going on in the," George said

"World.?" Harry finished, his eye in an arch, a smirk on his face, causing the twins to laugh a little bit.

**- to buy himself a bun from the bakery.**

"Ah, that makes more sense," The twins stated together, earning chuckles from many.

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. **

More scratching of a quill was heard, and Harry looked over to see Hermione and Remus with parchment and quills. After looking at Hermione questioningly, he saw her tap the top of the page, and when he looked, he saw the simple title of _Things to Research _and couldn't help but laugh at Hermione's antics.

**It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

**"The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard yes, their son, Harry" **

At this point, many people at the Head Table bowed their heads, realizing what this chapter was about, with Sirius whining and Harry hiding his face in Sirius' neck, which was hard with his godfather in his dog form. James and Lily were looking at this with tears in their eyes, upset about what their son had to go through with the fame, unknowing about what else had happened.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead. **

"If only," Harry murmured.

**Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it. He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, -**

"That must've been the most he's worked out," Harry heard Ginny say, causing many to laugh.

**- snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking... no, he was being stupid. Potter wasn't such an unusual name. **

"In the muggle world, that's true, but not here." Neville whispered, looking at Harry with pity.

**He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry. **

"He doesn't even know your name?" Hermione asked, furious, scribbling on a piece of parchment before handing it over to Remus, who only nodded before he put it down and gently patted Sirius.

**He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold. **

"Like I would ever name my son any of those names," James muttered, with Lily nodding her head in agreement.

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her - if he'd had a sister like that... **

James growled at this as did Snape, surprising all but the Marauders and professors.

- **but all the same, those people in cloaks... He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.**

**"Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. **

"Hey look, he actually has manners!"

**It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice **

"Professor Flitwick?" Many people asked while looking at the professor in question, his cheeks turning red at the stares.

- **that made passersby stare, **

**"Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!" **

Everyone was quiet at this statement, many surprised that a wizard could be so careless in the muggle world and even more surprised that the book was talking about _that _day,

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off. **

"I'm surprised I could even get to his middle," Flitwick mumbled, making Minerva and Albus to arch an eyebrow in return.

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.**

"Who the hell –"

"Language Jordan."

"—doesn't approve of imagination?" Lee finished, smirking at Professor McGonagall, whose lips were in a tight line already.

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw - and it didn't improve his mood - was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.**

"Definitely McGonagall," many people whispered.

**"Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly. **

Everyone laughed at this, knowing that a simple word wouldn't make McGonagall move in the slightest.

**The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look.**

The twins, the Marauders and shocking for James and Lily, Harry and his friends, all grinned at knowing that look so well, before chuckling.

**Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. **

"Definitely not, mate."

**Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife. Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had earned a new word ("Won't!"). **

"Spoilt brat," Molly whispered to her husband, who could only nod at his wife.

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

**"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin."Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Goingto be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"**

**"Well, Ted," said the weatherman, **

Tonks looked up at this, having been listening to the story with her head down, before mouthing 'Dad?' in confusion, surprise etched onto her face.

**"I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early - it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight." **

"We were a careless race on this day," Ron muttered.

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters... **

"There's nothing wrong with my family!" Harry said into Sirius' furry neck, wishing his godfather was in his human form so he could be comforted properly. For now though, Sirius could only lick Harry in understanding.

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. **

**"Er - Petunia, dear - you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?" As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

Remus watched as Lily closed her eyes once more with James putting his arm around her shoulders in a comforting embrace, while Snape looked on with jealousy.

**"No," she said sharply. "Why?"**

**"Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls... shooting stars... and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today..." **

**"So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley. **

**"Well, I just thought... maybe... it was something to do with... you know... her crowd." **

Many shouts of "what's wrong with wizards?" were heard throughout the hall.

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, **

**"Their son - he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?"**

**"I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.**

**"What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?"**

**"Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."**

"Harry is not a nasty common name," Hermione snarled and Lily couldn't help but look at the female that was very protective of her son, wondering if there were feelings involved. One look at her husband and she knew he was thinking the same thing, causing her to grin and kiss his cheek quickly. James looked over at her surprised, a smile on his face as he let Lily cuddle up to him.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Severus looked on with envy and jealousy in his stomach and a grimace on his face.

**"Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree." He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.**

"What were you waiting for, Professor?" a fifth year Hufflepuff asked.

"We shall wait and see," McGonagall answered.

**Was he imagining things?**

"Thought you didn't approve of imagination, old fart!" The twins shouted, laughter ringing out in the hall.

**Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did... if it got out that they were related to a pair of - well, he didn't think he could bear it. The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind... He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on - he yawned and turned over - it couldn't affect them... **

"You've jinxed it, muggle." A slytherin mumbled.

**How very wrong he was.**

"See!"

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed. Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. **

"Dumbledore!" Many people shouted, with the older wizard chucking at the response.

**He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. **

"I wonder if Albus is straight. Those boots don't do much for him if so," Fred whispered to Harry, which then made him laugh out loud and everyone look at him curiously.

**His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore. **

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome.**

Here, Dumbledore stopped and looked at the students before saying, "Of course I realized it. I just didn't pay any attention to it."

**He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."**

Once again, Dumbledore chuckled before looking over at the Headmistress and whispering to her, "How I didn't is quite shocking, really." After, Minerva blushed, which made everyone curious as to what the older wizard had said.

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop.**

"You have a deluminator, Professor?" Hermione asked suddenly, shock written in her face.

"I do." Albus replied.

**He clicked it again - the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

**"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."**

"He fancies you, Professor!" The twins shout, laughter following their statement when McGonagall blushes/

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.**

"Never a truer description of MinMin," Harry mumbles, with the twins nodding their heads in agreement and Remus looking at him while mouthing the nickname.

"I didn't want to call her Minnie, because I knew she associated that with you guys," Harry shrugged before continuing to listen.

**"How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

**"My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

Many people laughed at this, knowing how stiff McGonagall could be in her classes.

**"You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

**"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."**

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily. "Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently.**

**"You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no - even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls... shooting stars... Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent - I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."**

"Man, I loved Dedalus." James whispered his head against his chair in remorse.

**"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

Those who remembered those eleven years put their heads down while continuing to listen.

**"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."**

"What if the Muggles had learned about us on that day?" Hermione and Lily shouted at the book, not wanting their world to be revealed.

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day YouKnow-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?"**

The students and members of the Ministry stared at Hermione and Lily with humor, while Hermione blushed and looked down while Lily smiled.

**"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?" **

"What's a lemon drop?" Some purebloods asked.

**"A what?"**

**"A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of"**

The purebloods that had asked previously were nodding in understanding, while the trio just grinned at the lemon drops, knowing the one that were kept in Dumbledore's office were laced.

**"No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone -"**

**"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You- Know-Who' nonsense - for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort."**

Many of the people, Umbridge and Fudge included flinched at the name of Voldemort while Harry, Hermione, Ron, Sirius, Remus, Albus, Minerva, Severus, James and Lily either rolled their eyes or sighed in annoyance.

**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. **

Dumbledore had indeed noticed, he recalled. He just didn't want to discuss it so soon afterwards, and used a diversion tactic.

**"It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name."**

"Fear of the name increases fear of the thing itself." Harry mumbles, while Sirius wags his tail in happiness.

**"I know you haven't, said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."**

**"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."**

"Only because you're too noble to use them!" Hermione muttered with the table overhearing them, while Lily said it loudly, having everyone looked at her.

**"Only because you're too - well - noble to use them."**

"You're just like McGonagall, Hermione!" The twins shout, making Hermione blush. However, Harry can't help but think about how much Hermione is like his mother. When he looks over at Remus and _Snuffles_ and sees a grin on their faces, he knows they think the same thing.

**"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."**

"We did not need to know that," The twins and the golden trio say while grimacing.

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?" **

It was here that everyone had bowed their heads again, with Harry cradling himself around Sirius' dog form and burying his face into the neck. He didn't want to hear about this, didn't want everyone to actually hear about this. He just wanted to go away, go spend time with his family, get to know his parents for the first time in his life.

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. **

"I must admit, that piercing stare is actually quite scary." Dumbledore interrupts, laughter coming out of nearly everyone.

**It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.**

**"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are - are - that they're - dead. "**

At this, Harry flinched and buried himself further into Sirius' neck, while Sirius whimpered and Remus rubbed Harry's back, with Hermione and Ron looking on with sadness in their eyes. James and Lily were openly crying with Minerva dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped. **

**"Lily and James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it...Oh, Albus..."**

James smiled at learning that Minerva truly cared. He knew he shouldn't have had his doubts, but he couldn't help the way he felt, for sure. Lily, knowing what her husband was thinking, smiled at Minerva who gave a watery smile back.

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know... I know..." he said heavily.**

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But – he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke - and that's why he's gone. Dumbledore nodded glumly.**

James and Lily marveled at this. They knew their son survived, of course they did, but they didn't know how, or why, or anything about. With a glance at Albus, they notice he's choosing to ignore them and they both look at each other curiously, wondering why the Headmaster would do something like that.

**"It's - it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done... all the people he's killed... he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding... of all the things to stop him... but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

Nearly everyone inched forward in their seats, wanting to hear the reason why.

**"We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**

After, everyone sighed in disappointment, and continued to listen as Albus read the chapter.

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. **

"Professor, what kind of watch is that?" Dumbledore grinned and chuckled before replying.

"That, is a hidden secret." Many students sighed in disappointment before getting over it.

**It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, **

**"Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

**"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?" **

**"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."**

At this, James and Lily looked at Albus angrily before speaking in harsh tones.

"Albus, we said no matter what, Harry wasn't supposed to go with them! They hate me, and in turn, would hate my baby boy!" Lily snarled, her true mother nature coming into play.

"Why didn't he go with Sirius? Remus?" James growled, angry that their will was so blatantly ignored.

"We will talk about this l-"

"We will _not_ talk about this later, Albus. We want an answer, now!" James shouted, slamming his fist down on the table, making many people jump in shock. Harry was one of those people, surprised that his father was so protective, and looked down at Sirius, who licked his arm before laying his head back down on Harry's thigh and watching the argument.

"Blood magic from Lily, and we _will_ talk about this later." Albus said, before continuing the reading while James and Lily both looked furious.

**"You don't mean - you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four.**

**"Dumbledore - you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son - I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!"**

**"It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."**

"YOU WROTE A LETTER?" James, Lily, Hermione, Molly, Tonks, Moody and Remus yelled while Sirius growled in anger, unable to actually say anything before the third book.

"Like they would read it!" Lily grumbled under her breath, crossing her arms in anger.

**"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous – a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future - there will be books written about Harry - every child in our world will know his name!"**

**"Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! You see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"**

"Wish everyone would stop with the whole famous thing," Harry grumbled, Umbridge, Fudge, Percy and Snape looking at him in shock. Surely Potter liked the fame?

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes - yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.**

**"Hagrid's bringing him."**

**"You think it - wise - to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"I'd trust Hagrid with my life!' The trio said, making Hagrid puff out his chest in pride.

**I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

Everyone snorted at this, not surprised that the trio and Albus both thought that.

**"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to - what was that?"**

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky – and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them. If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild – long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

Many of the girls cooed at the words while Hagrid looked at Harry.

**"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"**

Many people were confused at what a motorcycle was and saw that the item was being written down on the parchment of muggle things to explain.

**"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sit," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir."**

"Cool!" Many people gasped, while James briefly looked at the black grim-like dog and grinned, shaking his head at the way Sirius obviously used to be.

**"No problems, were there?"**

**"No, sir - house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."**

Many of the girls cooed once more at the image, while Sirius just prodded Harry in a way to say he always fell asleep as they were flying, as Harry loved the bike. Well, he didn't say that by the prod, he said it in a letter, but Harry knew anyways.

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

**"Is that where -?" whispered Professor McGonagall. **

**"Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."**

Many people turned to stare at Harry and his scar, whilst Harry, uncomfortable with the attention, flattened his bangs and looked away blushing. Snape, surprised at the action once more, chose to ignore the evidence stating he was nothing like _Potter_.

**"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**

**"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. **

"Really, Albus?" James asked and when Albus nodded, everyone awed in fascination, wondering why the headmaster would need such a map.

**Well - give him here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with." Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house.**

**"Could I - could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

Harry heard Sirius snort at that, and couldn't hide his grin.

**"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "you'll wake the Muggles!"**

**"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. **

**"But I c-c-can't stand it - Lily an' James dead - an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles -"**

"Hagrid, you must be quiet –"Lily began

"Or you'll be found out." Hermione finished, the two females looking at each other in surprise before smiling lightly.

**"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found,"**

Everyone snorted at the irony of it, while Molly and Ginny Weasley looked angry, like something wasn't going their way.

**Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

While many people knew that Dumbledore no longer having a twinkle in his eyes wasn't a good thing, nearly all of the females were angry with him for leaving Harry on a doorstep, in November no less.

**"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

**"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir." **

At this, Sirius whined a little bit, clearly missing his motorcycle. Harry nodded his head, remembering the bike, though barely.

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

**"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply. Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.**

**"Good luck, Harry," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.**

"I'll definitely be needing it, too." Harry mumbled, causing Sirius to look up at him with worry.

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley...**

"Try for the next few years." Harry added.

**He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter - the boy who lived!"**

When Dumbledore finished reading, he looked up, and with his glasses down low on his nose, asked a very important question.

"Who would like to read next?" After a few minutes of silence, a voice finally came from the crowd.

"I will, Albus." Remus Lupin said, taking the book when it flew to him.


	3. Chapter 3

"**CHAPTER TWO THE VANISHING GLASS" **Remus began, with everyone turning towards him so they could hear him properly and Remus himself wondering if this was a case of accidental magic.

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed.**

**Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets –**

At this, everyone laughed, easily imagining the image that presented.

- ** but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. **

Many things were being written down on the Muggle Inventions paper, and many people were snorting at the mere fact that the boy was so spoilt. A few people though, wondered why Harry had yet to be mentioned.

**The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too. **

"You're still there, right Potter?" A seventh year Slytherin questioned, not liking the way this chapter was starting. Harry, instead of answering, let Remus continue reading.

**Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.**

Lily shuddered at remembering the shrill voice, as did Severus, causing Harry to look up at him with a glare in his eyes.

**"Up! Get up! Now!" Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.**

Harry really hated that voice.

**"Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. **

At this, Hagrid, Sirius and Remus all looked toward Harry, shocked that he could remember something like that. Sirius though, wasn't completely surprised.

**He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before. His aunt was back outside the door.**

**"Are you up yet?" she demanded.**

**"Nearly," said Harry.**

**"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday." Harry groaned.**

At this, everyone's shouts of 'THEY MADE YOU COOK?" were overwhelming Harry, and he found himself going back into a ball by Sirius' body. He noticed that Sirius was tense and growling, but if there was anyone Harry felt okay with, it was his godfather.

"Harry," Hermione began, obviously wanting to choose her words wisely. "When did they start making you cook?"

Harry, obviously not wanting to answer her question, sighed before mumbled 'I was six'. At hearing these words, Harry could hear Remus and Sirius growling and Hermione's wand was sending up red sparks, showing her anger.

At the table, Dumbledore could feel shock pouring through his veins, surprised that the Dursley's would make Harry do that, James and Lily were as furious as their friends, glaring at either Dumbledore or McGonagall, who was looking down in shame and Severus, who was impassive but his mind was going a mile a minute.

**"What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.**

**"Nothing, nothing..." Dudley's birthday - how could he have forgotten?**

You shouldn't have had to remember, Harry, James thought, angry at everything going around him.

**Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. **

Ron shuddered at the mention of spiders, while others wondered why Harry was so calm with spiders.

**Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.**

After this sentence, Remus had to stop reading because he was suddenly snarling in anger at the Dursley's, while Sirius had stood up in attack form and was growling at the book, no doubt being exceptionally angry at the Dursley's. James and Lily had their wands clenched tightly in their hands, though they were unable to do anything as they were dead.

Hermione had moved to sit next to Harry and held his hand tightly, while Harry had been trying to hold Sirius back so he could seek comfort in his warmth.

Dumbledore was completely shocked, Minerva was furious and Snape was double shocked, not liking the parallels between the brat and himself.

Everyone else was sitting, their mouths opened in shocked, as they could never see that actually happening to _the_ Harry Potter. Some people, like Hannah Abbot, saw that this made Harry human, and not some celebrity, and felt pity for the guy, while others, like Malfoy, figured the story was a lie, and refused to believe that someone like Potter was treated like a common muggle.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. **

"Definitely a spoiled brat." Ginny murmured, not happy with this book, or Hermione's position against Harry.

**It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. **

More items added to the parchment, and the twins snorted before asking why the guy would be getting exercise when he hated it, causing everyone to laugh.

**Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise - unless of course it involved punching somebody. **

"Harry, they better not mean you." The twins interrupted, with the other Weasley's nodding their head.

**Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry,**

More snarls were heard here.

- ** but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast. Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age. **

"Definitely not all the damn cupboard, Harry." Remus said quietly with Sirius wagging his tail slightly in agreement. Harry smiled at this, happy he was learning more about his parents.

**He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was.**

"They never bought you anything for yourself, did they mate?" Ron questioned and when Harry shook his head, he could tell many people were angry at what they were learning.

**Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and bright green eyes.**

Snape flinched at the reminder of Lily's eyes, and with the _happy couple_ right next to him, things were getting tough to keep quiet about.

**He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. **

More growls from Sirius and Remus were heard, alongside a snap coming from the head's table, in the direction of Harry's parents.

**The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning.**

At this, everyone went and stared at Harry in shock. Harry, not liking the attention, tensed up and wondered what everyone would think about his parsletongue ability, especially his family, if they were all staring at him now.

"What?" He shrugged his eyes downward, "I didn't know what it meant, and I thought it was cool because it made me unique from everyone else."

**He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it.**

**"In the car crash when your parents died," she had said. **

James, Lily, Remus, Minerva, and all of Harry's main friends stood up in anger over hearing this, appalled that Harry had never even known where his parents had gone and why. After fifteen minutes of them shouting, everything had calmed down well enough for Remus to continue reading.

**"And don't ask questions." Don't ask questions - that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

"How can someone not ask questions?" A second year asked, with many people shrugging in response.

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon. **

**"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

"Not likely," James and Harry said at the same time, laughter coming from others as they grinned at one another. It was at that point in time that James got a real good look at his son, and damn, did they ever look alike.

James knows that no matter what he reads, he'll always be proud of his boy, and when looking at Lily, he knows she feels the same.

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way - all over the place.**

"Ah, the curse of having Potter hair," James said silently, causing Lily to giggle.

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel – **

"Snuffles would probably say more like a pig in a wig, Petunia." James and Remus said laughing, and Harry could only snort at the look of confusion everyone was giving one of them.

**Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

James and Remus both looked at Harry, who was laughing as he could feel Sirius trying to laugh himself. Hermione and Ron could only roll their eyes, knowing how much Harry was already like his godfather.

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.**

**"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

"I don't even get that much," Malfoy interrupted, disgusted with the muggle.

**"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy."**

Spoiled brat was heard all throughout the hall, with Harry laughing at something Hermione had quickly and quietly said.

**"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.**

"Don't choke, Harry. Snuffles wouldn't want that."The twins stated, laughing all the while.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right''**

Definitely spoiled, Remus thought as he continued to read the pages.

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty ... thirty..."**

"Bloody hell, he doesn't even know 'ow to count!" Dean yells, with Seamus shaking his head next to him.

**"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia. **

**"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled. "Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair. **

Many people snorted at the thought of not only Dudley being little, but at the fact that Dudley was a wonderful boy.

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried. **

More scratching of quill on parchment when it came to the muggle items, alongside many people muttering about the reason as to why Petunia was looking angry and worried were heard throughout the great hall. Harry, realizing that the time was getting close to the zoo, began to clench his fingers in Sirius' fur.

**"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him."**

"He has a name!" Hermione shouted, standing up in anger, her wand exploding with sparks due to it.

Surprised, Lily looked at the girl, wondering what her relationship with her son was truly like. Looking at James, she jerked her head slightly towards them, then Remus and Sirius, and he nodded, knowing instantly what she wanted and agreeing with it.

**She jerked her head in Harry's direction. Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

"Harry!" Hermione scolded, causing Harry to grimace, blush and shrug while running his hand through his hair in embarrassment, making everyone laugh at it.

**"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.**

"Harry!" Hermione scolded once more, laughing when she saw his face.

**"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

**"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy."**

"And the feeling is definitely mutual!" Harry mumbled.

"Isn't she the one you-?" Fred asked, and when Harry nodded his head, the twins laughed and everyone looked curious.

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there - or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

Sirius was heard growling at this, knowing what having a family like that was like, but other than that, the room was quiet.

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend - Yvonne?"**

**"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

**"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer). Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**

**"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

**"I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.**

**"I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "... and leave him in the car..."**

Sirius was heard growling once more, but stopped when Harry hugged him and told him they didn't matter anymore, it was only Sirius' opinion that did and Hermione was muttering about how Harry wasn't a dog.

**"That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone..."**

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying - it had been years since he'd really cried - but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

Malfoy grimaced at the muggle using a tactic he himself used, unsure if he felt angry for the muggle or for himself for being like the muggle.

**"Dinky Duddydums, -**

Here, the whole Hall laughed out loud at the nickname

-** don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him. **

**"I... don't... want... him... t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp- spoils everything!" **

"He spoils nothing, you rotten bastard!" Harry heard Ron snarling and shot his best friend a thankful look.

**He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms. Just then, the doorbell rang –**

**"Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically - and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat.**

At the word rat, the trio, the Weasley's, James and Lily, Sirius and Remus all growled and snarled, not wanting a reminder about the guy that made Harry's life a true living hell.

**He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once. Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.**

**"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy - any funny business, anything at all - and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

Sirius growled once more, and Amelia couldn't help but wonder who the dog was that seemed very protective of Harry, and obviously, Harry had a strong bond with.

**"I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly.." But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did. The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen. **

"Ooh, finally, some accidental magic!' Lily whispered while her hands rubbed together in her excitement.

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." **

Malfoy, so into the story, let out a loud laugh, causing everyone to glare at him.

**Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. **

Once hearing this, many of the people in the great hall looked down, feeling bad for Harry, except the people who knew that Harry hated pity, did not feel bad for him, but instead, smiled at him in understanding.

**Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off.**

That's rather impressive, Remus thought, telling Hermione with a nod of his head to write down Harry's Accidental Magic on the research list. When she nodded, he continued, though not without Sirius and Harry noticing.

**He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly. **

Lily was furious at her sister, not caring that there was nothing she could do anymore. Her sister knew what accidental magic was, had experienced herself with Lily, how dare she punish Lily's boy for something he couldn't control.

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls) - The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished.**

Harry's family let out a deep sigh of relief, thankful that Harry hadn't gotten punished for it, but unsure of what else to expect.

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens.**

Sirius jolted at this, looking at Harry curiously through his animagus, wondering how powerful his godson's magic truly was.

**Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. **

Everyone stared in shock at this. Harry, being confused as to why everyone was surprised, tilted his head slightly.

"Harry… you… you apparated?" Hermione questioned, extremely impressed with her best friends magical power. She wasn't the only one, either. Down from them, Ginny was looking at Harry awestruck, almost like there were stars shining in her eyes. She could imagine that _the _boy who lived had performed such powerful magic at such a young age. Across from them, Cho was also looking at Harry like he was an amazing guy just for doing something that he hadn't known he was doing.

The difference, Harry knew though, was that the only one to see Harry as just Harry, despite everything he had done, or will do, was Hermione, and he was ever so thankful for that.

James, having watched all the females look at Harry in awe, and Harry look down at the attention smiled, before turning to his wife.

"Harry is obviously like you when it comes to attention – hates it down to the bone. Do you think that if Hermione was giving him attention, whilst seeing him as _just _Harry, he'd like it then?" He questioned his wife, smirking at the idea.

Lily, having listened, could only laugh before looking at the two before nodding her head in agreement. Next to Albus, Minerva were curious about what could possibly make Harry so powerful.

**The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard)—**

Sirius and James growled at this

-** was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid- jump. But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.**

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles.**

"He sure likes to—" Fred started

"Complain about –" George interrupted

"About me?" Harry smirked, knowing the twins so well already. The twins themselves were put out before grinning back at Harry and letting Remus continue reading.

**"... roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.**

"**I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

The twins shook their head while Harry grimaced at himself, before sighing and looking pointedly at them to not joke about his naivety.

"I was young and was going to the zoo for the first time. Shut up." He said, hitting Fred upside the head.

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beetwith a mustache: **

**"MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!" Dudley and Piers sniggered.**

"**I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream." But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon - they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas. **

With a grin, Fred and George instantly decided to check out these cartoons, while the professor of Muggle Studies wrote down cartoons as something to discuss at a later point.

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop.**

Cheap bastards, Sirius thought, growling in annoyance at the book in Remus' hands, causing him to arch an eyebrow before continuing.

**It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.**

At this, many of the students and professors in the great hall laughed at the joke Harry made, wondering why Harry didn't always appear to be this funny when they saw him.

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. **

Hearing this sentence made Sirius somewhat depressed, knowing that Harry could've had many more best mornings if he hadn't been so irrational and rash.

**He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him. **

More growls came from those around Harry, surprising him that many people cared about it.

**They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first. Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

Sirius, after hearing this sentence, grimaced at the cheapness of the Dursley's and at the fact that Harry believed nothing good ever came to him. Harry however, was feeling a thin veil of panic inside of him, as he realized that his parents, Sirius and Remus would hear he was a parsletongue, which was something he was afraid of making them turn away from him. Sirius, who had been resting on Harry, felt his godson's body tense and after looking at Harry for a couple of minutes, knew that Harry would need to talk to him soon.

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. **

When hearing this, the Weasley's and Hermione, plus Justin and many others suddenly opened their mouths in understanding as to why Harry was currently hiding in a dog's fur.

**It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon**

"Wow" Many people said, before Remus continued

- **'s car and crushed it into a trash can **

"Oh!" They then finished, realizing they interrupted too soon.

**- but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep. Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

**"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

**"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

**"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away. Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself – no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying**

**to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house. **

Sirius looked at the book interestingly, saddened by the fact that Harry could sympathize with caged animals.

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.**

**It winked.**

James, Lily, Sirius and Remus stared at the book in confusion, knowing that snakes don't actually have eyelids. It was Sirius, who first figured out what was going to happen and when he did, he nudged Remus to continue before looking at Harry and lightly licking his cheek.

Harry having felt that, could also feel all of the tension leave his body.

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too. The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly:**

**"I get that all the time."**

**"I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

**"Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.**

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

**"Was it nice there?"**

James and Lily, having been struck shocked by the fact that their son could speak to Snakes, noticed Remus quietly whispering to Harry, probably saying that this tidbit changed nothing between all of them, and when Harry nodded, Remus continued reading.

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see - so you've never been to Brazil?"**

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump.**

**"DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!" Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

**"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. **

This caught everyone by surprise, making Sirius growl in anger over the damn cousin, and James look at Sirius like he was surprised at how much his best friend had not only aged, but matured.

**Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened **

"WHAT HAPPENED?" Many people shouted and Remus, rolling his eyes, continued reading so that everyone could get the point.

**- one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror. **

"What did you do, Harry?"

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished. **

"Woah, wicked!" The twins whispered, clearly impressed. The teachers were also impressed though Dumbledore looked worried, something Lily could not understand.

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits. As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come... Thanksss, amigo." **

"Huh, a nice Snake," James smirked, knowing that Severus was glaring in his direction. Lily, though she had a reprimanding look on her face, couldn't help but laugh as James wiggled his eyebrows for fun.

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock. "But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?" The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. **

Sirius rolled his eyes at the boys, but couldn't help but feel about how much they reminded him of James and himself at such a younger age when it came to teasing Snape.

**But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"**

At this, almost everyone in the great hall grimaced, knowing that something like that would not go well for Harry.

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go - cupboard - stay - no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.**

No meals? Sirius growled, not liking the way the punishment was going. He heard James also growling and Lily muttering under her breath and knew without a doubt that they were as equally thrilled as he was.

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food. **

The twins, James and Remus smiled as they remembered sneaking into kitchens, before they realized that Harry went without food, and became furious.

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash.**

At this, everyone in his family cringed, realizing that they could have done something, anything to help him.

**He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead. **

Sirius gulped at this, whimpering in Harry's skin, knowing that he shouldn't have gone through this and remembered such things at such a young damn age.

**This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house. When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family. **

Here, Sirius cringed even more, realizing that if he had thought things through first, he could have given Harry a life he deserved, not what he got. Harry, realizing Sirius was blaming himself once again, wrapped his arms around Sirius' neck and whispered furiously to him that Harry could never blame Sirius for anything.

It took some time, but Sirius ended up calm once more and Remus continued reading.

**Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.**

"That would be incredibly creepy to know about and not know anything about your life." Fred commented silently, looking at one of his closer friends with sadness.

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

Everyone was silent for sometime after that, digesting what they had just heard. Harry, whose arms were still around Sirius' neck sighed before sitting up.

"I think MinMin should read the next chapter." Harry states, blushing when he realizes he called McGonagall by his nickname for her. After a couple of seconds, everyone begins to laugh and McGonagall shakes her head before grabbing the floating book.


	4. Chapter 4

"**CHAPTER THREE: THE LETTERS FROM NO ONE" **Professor McGonagall began, clearing her throat as she did so. Before she could continue however, many people interrupted, asking how someone could possibly get letters from no one.

"Remember what Harry said in the beginning, with muggle mail?" Hermione stated, and when many different people nodded their heads after thinking about it, Hermione smiled before continuing.

"Well, when a muggle mails something to someone else, they always put the return address – in other words, the person sending the mail – on the letter. Therefore, a letter from no one is basically a letter without the return address on it." She finished, with many others nodding their heads in understanding, while some still look confused.

"For anyone still curious about it, I will be talking about muggle mail in my muggle list of items!" The professor said, and many people looked relieved at that news.

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started –**

"Harry, when was your cousins birthday?" Remus asked and after a couple of seconds, Harry finally answered with a 'beginning of June' and heard a few growls coming around the hall.

-** and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.**

**Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader.**

Many of the students in the hall snorted at this, and Lily couldn't help but smile at the logic her son apparently had.

**The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: **

Sirius growled here, just knowing what was going to come up.

**Harry Hunting.**

At this, many people shouted out cries of outrage, and others were furious at the place Dumbledore let Harry spend his life.

**This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came he would be going off to secondary school**

"No, you'll be going to Hogwarts!" The twins shouted, many people chuckling at them

-** and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny.**

**"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. **

**"Want to come upstairs and practice?"**

**"No, thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilets never had anything as horrible as your head down it - it might be sick." Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said. **

Many of the students burst out laughing, with some of the professors trying to hide a smile and Harry's parents were looking at him with pride in their faces due to his remark.

Fred and George, shocked at the fact that Harry had a little meanness and joking in him, quickly opened their arms with grins before shouting for Harry to join them in the fun.

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though**

**she'd had it for several years. **

At this particular sentence, both Ron and Remus looked offended at the mere idea that chocolate could ever be considered bad in any sense of the way, causing Sirius to snort and Harry to laugh.

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. **

Many people looked confused and after a few minutes of pure silence images of the items mentioned appear, causing everyone to ah in fascination and some to laugh.

**They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life. As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. **

"Must not have a lot of proud moments." James muttered, causing Lily to laugh at him silently.

**Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, **

Everyone in the room started laughing, except the twins, who then swore that they would never use that nickname on Ron ever again. Harry, having noticed the looks on their faces, smiled at them slightly.

- **he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh.**

Apparently, no one in the Great Hall had problems with trying not to laugh, as it took them at least ten minutes to stop doing so in order for McGonagall to continue.

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water. **

Noses around the room wrinkled at the apparent disgust of that smell.

**"What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.**

McGonagall and Flitwick paused, wondering if this was the reason why Harry never wanted to ask questions in class, promising to talk to Harry about it.

**"Your new school uniform," she said. Harry looked in the bowl again.**

**"Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."**

Everyone burst out laughing at this. Despite the fact, James couldn't help but say that sarcasm won't go through well with Petunia Dursley.

**"Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished." Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High - like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.**

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table. They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.**

**"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.**

"Wow, he's actually making the walrus do something!" Cho shouted her shock apparent from Harry's spot.

**"Make Harry get it."**

"Apparently not." Fred finishes, sighing in disappointment.

**"Get the mail, Harry."**

**"Make Dudley get it."**

"That's brave, mate." Dean stated before letting McGonagall continue.

**"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley."**

Sirius growled at this, not liking the apparent abuse that his godson has gone through and hidden from everyone.

**Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and - a letter for Harry.**

**Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? He had no friends, no other relatives – **

At this, James and Lily couldn't help but wonder where Sirius and Remus was, and why they had yet to make contact with Harry, not knowing about just what else Peter had done to their family.

- **he didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:**

**Mr. H. Potter**

**The Cupboard under the Stairs**

**4 Privet Drive**

**Little Whinging**

**Surrey**

Many people felt sadness at the thought of Harry having no one, and McGonagall couldn't help but wonder why Albus still used those self-writing quills.

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp. Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.**

**"Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke. **

"That—"

"Was a joke?" The twins shout, ashamed at such a horrible joke, while shaking their heads.

**Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. **

"Harry, you should've opened it in the hallway!" Hermione groaned, putting her head in her hands.

"I know that _now, _'Mione." He sighed, smiling.

**He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope. Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard.**

**"Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk. -."**

**"Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!"**

Wincing, James couldn't help but mutter how it wasn't any of Dudley's business anyways.

**Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.**

"That's not yours!" James and Lily shouted, angry at the Dursley for taking something that didn't belong to them.

**"That's mine!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back.**

"You go son!" James shouted, causing Harry to blush and Remus to laugh while Sirius snorted in his dog form.

**"Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. **

"Plenty of people, you big turd!" George shouted.

"Yeah. I know Ginny wrote him hundreds of letters asking for marriage!" Fred snickered, thinking he was quiet enough. However, when Ginny had turned beet red and grabbed her wand, the twins knew that they were indeed heard,

Lily and James, both having heard this, looked towards the girl. Lily knew instantly that this girl liked Harry, and James, being James, and having dated his fair share of girls like this one, knew instantly that the girl liked Harry for his fame, not himself. This bothered the couple, and after looking at their son, saw that he wasn't too comfortable with it either, and instead, chose to stroke Hermione's thumb with his in a calming gesture.

**His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge.**

"Is that even healthy, Lils?" James questioned silently, his eyebrow in an arch and his lips quirked in amusement.

**"P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.**

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.**

**"Vernon! Oh my goodness - Vernon!" They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.**

"Christ, everyone here would be killed if they tried that," Pansy Parkinson screeched, aghast at how these muggles were behaving.

**"I want to read that letter," he said loudly. **

"Well, you can't, cause it's not yours!" Ron snarled, unimpressed with the book.

"**I want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's mine."**

"You go Harry!" Cho said, blushing when Harry smiled at her in thanks.

**"Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.**

**Harry didn't move.**

"**I WANT MY LETTER!" he shouted.**

"That would be Lily-Flower's anger, right there," James laughed, causing Lily to blush and roll her eyes happily and Severus to grimace at the thought of the nickname that Lily use to loathe.

**"Let me see it!" demanded Dudley.**

**"OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them. Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudley won, so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at**

**the crack between door and floor.**

"Best position anyway, Harry." Fred stared, grinning while ignoring the looks his mother was shooting him.

**"Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address - how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?"**

"Oh, come off it, Petunia, you know the truth!" Lily whispered furiously.

**"Watching - spying - might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.**

"Yeah, we wouldn't both you lot—"

"We've got better things to do, thanks!"

**"But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want -" **

**Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen.**

**"No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer... Yes, that's best... we won't do anything..."**

**"But -"**

**"I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"**

Upon hearing this, many people in the great hall cried out in rage. Never ever had they heard of muggles being this prejudice against wizards, let alone wizards in their own families! Sirius, who was well aware of what stamping magic out could do (not by experience, mind you) was growling and snarling furiously, causing many people who thought he was the grin to back away in fright. Albus, who did know what stamping out magic was like, personally, winced, and wondered how he could have missed such an obvious mistake in is plan.

Dolores, who had been silent the whole time, couldn't help but agree with the muggles (quite unfortunately, too) about stamping people's magic out, especially if they didn't deserve it, like those half-breeds and mudbloods.

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard.**

"Did he actually fit?'

"No way could he have fit!"

"He didn't fit! It was just his head!" Harry interrupted, before things could get out of hand.

**"Where's my letter?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. "Who's writing to me?"**

**"No one. it was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly. "I have burned it."**

"Well now, that's not very nice." Lily hissed.

"Or legal," Hermione murmured.

**"It was not a mistake," said Harry angrily, "it had my cupboard on it." **

James, Remus and Sirius couldn't help but feel saddened over the fact that Harry thought of that cupboard has his.

**"SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling. **

Ron shuddered at that, remembering his second year.

**He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.**

"Hope it was!" Someone from the Slytherin table shouted.

**"Er - yes, Harry - about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking... you're really getting a bit big for it... we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom."**

If a person was outside of the Great Hall at this moment, all they would have heard was complete and utter pandemonium. Many people were shouting about the injustice of the Dursley's having a second bedroom for their son whilst Harry only got a bloody cupboard, closer people were staring angrily at the book while planning ways to avenge Harry's horrible time at that place, and the people Harry called family – whom, if we must be specific, included the twins, Ron, Hermione, Tonks, Remus and Sirius, alongside his parents, of course – were either growling and snarling or remaining absolutely quiet while glaring at the book so much, Harry was surprised that it hadn't combusted yet.

**"Why?" said Harry.**

**"Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. **

The professor flinched at this, even more curious as to if this was why Harry never asked his questions in their classes.

**"Take this stuff upstairs, now." The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms: **

More growls heard here, and Harry winced.

- **one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom. It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room.**

Many people looked saddened by this, but Harry just kept his head down, not wanting the pity.

**He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been canceled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched. From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, "I don't want him in there... I need that room... make him get out..."**

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it.**

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back. **

Mutterings of brat and spoilt bastard were heard throughout the rooms after this had been read.

**Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.**

"We are too Harry, we are too." The twins nodded solemnly.

**When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it. They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, **

**"There's another one! 'Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive -'" With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind. **

Ron and Hermione snorted at this, and Harry, having heard, looked towards them in confusion.

"Practicing early I see." Ron chuckled, and Harry, remembering the troll, laughed lightly.

**After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand.**

**"Go to your cupboard - I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry.**

**"Dudley - go - just go."**

**Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? **

"Of course Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, pausing herself from the reading to do so.

**And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan. **

"Jeeze, those are never good." Ron laughed while Harry crossed his arms and pouted slightly.

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights. He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door –**

"Admittedly, not a bad plan," Hermione began.

"Oi! What happened?" The twins shouted, wanting to know.

**Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat - something alive! **

"Way to sound like a clichéd horror book, Potter!" A muggleborn Ravenclaw laughed.

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face. **

Laughter rang out here at the idea of Harry's uncle having such a face.

**Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. **

"This is where your bad luck started, mate." Ron said, shaking his head.

**He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink. **

"**I want -" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes. **

"How rude!" Hermione and Lily muttered, everyone laughing at the comparisons going on about the two.

**Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.**

**"See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't deliver them they'll just give up."**

"No they won't, muggle." Malfoy snarled.

**"I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."**

"Listen to her, Dursley. She knows these things whether she wants to or not." James growled, angry at Lily's sister for putting their son through this abuse.

**"Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me," **

"And we're glad for it, too!" Neville shouted.

**- said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him. On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom. Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises. On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone**

**to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.**

**"Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly?" Dudley asked Harry in amazement. **

"Many people, mate. Many people." Ron said, while Ginny blushed some more remembering what happened earlier, as all of the other girls who had written to Harry.

Harry, wondering where the letters went, quietly asked Remus, who could only look up at Albus and shrug.

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.**

"This can't be good."

**"No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today -" Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one.**

"Why not pick one off the ground?" Many people shouted, and Harry, not wanting to ruin his being a seeker for his parents, grinned and shrugged.

**"Out! OUT!" Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall.**

Many people could hear Snuffles growling at that, and Harry stroked the fur in order to calm his godfather down.

**When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.**

**"That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his mustache at the same time. "I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!" **

**He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared argue. Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and**

**computer in his sports bag. **

Snorts were heard around the room as some people rolled their eyes at the brat.

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while. **

**"Shake'em off... shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this. They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, **

"Welcome to Harry's life," Hermione muttered angrily, her arms crossed.

- **he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer. Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering... They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day. **

"Ugh, that's not a meal, mate." Ron stated, his stomach rumbling.

**They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.**

"**'Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk." She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:**

**Mr. H. Potter**

**Room 17**

**Railview Hotel**

**Cokeworth**

**Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared.**

"Why won't she do something about it?" Lavender asked.

**"I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.**

"**Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her. **

"He should listen to her. She knows it's just going to get worse." Lily sighed.

**Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.**

**"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon. Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared.**

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley sniveled.**

**"It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television." Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday - and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of**

**television - then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday. Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun - last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. **

James and Lily sat absolutely shocked still, angry that their son went eleven years without a god damn birthday gift, or a proper cake. James, who could hear Sirius growling from where he sat, stared at his best friend. Anger boiled through him, wondering where his best friend, his sons godfather was, and why Harry was still at this place.

Sirius, having sensed his best friends stare, looked up. After seeing the glare James was sending him, whimpered and shrunk into himself, looking down at the ground. He could feel Harry's arms tighten around him and he looked briefly up at his godson, surprised to see him sending a light glare to his own father.

Lily, who saw said glare, snorted at the look of shock James had on his face.

"He's fifteen. He'll bound to be emotional, James. Just heat the story and maybe we'll fnid out about Sirius."

**Still, you weren't eleven every day.**

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.**

**"Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!" It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there.**

That sounds dangerous, Flitwick thought, surprised anyone could keep a family there.

**"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. **

**"And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!" A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them.**

**"I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!" It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house. The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms. Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas. **

"Those aren't rations!" Ron shouted, appalled that those were thought of such things.

**He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoke and shriveled up.**

**"Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully.**

"Bastard." Remus muttered

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all. As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.**

Hermione, who was snarling at this point, quickly summoned a small blanket and wrapped Harry, Sirius and herself in it, causing many people to smile at the cuteness while Sirius could only snort.

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat**

**wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now. **

**Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did. **

**Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow. **

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?**

"You always so pessimistic, Harry?" Hermione grumbled under her breath, causing Harry to grin.

**One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds... twenty ... ten... nine - maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him - three... two... one...**

**BOOM. **Minerva shouted this, many people jumping at the sudden noise.

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**

"Who wants to read next?" Minerva said and Hermione raised her hand.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note**: I just wanted to thank all of you guys for either favouriting/following/reviewing. It means a lot to me, and made me especially happy. I'm updating the next three chapters today (I was going to do all five that I'd written, but I didn't want to overwhelm y'all) so I hope y'all enjoy. :)

Also, a hint of a plot does show up here and there. Sorry ;)

* * *

"**CHAPTER FOUR: THE KEEPER OF THE KEYS" **Hermione began, shouting the next word out and making people jump.

**BOOM. **

**They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake. **

**"Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly.**

"Canon?" Many people asked, as the Professor wrote it down on her list.

**There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands –**

All of the females gasped, shocked that a weapon like that was near two eleven year olds.

- ** now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them.**

**"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you - I'm armed!"**

**There was a pause. Then –**

**SMASH!**

**The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor. A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair. The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all.**

"'Harry, I never scared yeh, right?" Hagrid asked and when Harry shook his head to indicate a no, relief was evident as his shoulders slumped. Everyone else in the room was laughing at how accurate Harry's descriptions were.

**"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey..." He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.**

**"Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger. Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon.**

**"An' here's Harry!" said the giant. Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.**

**"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yet dad, but yeh've got yet mom's eyes." **

Harry smiled sadly, remembering how that was the first time he'd ever heard that.

**Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise. I demand that you leave at once, sit!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"**

"Oh, shut up, you prune!" James, Remus and the twins called out, while Hermione laughed.

**"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant; **

The others laughed, turning red and shaking their heads at they're thoughts.

- **he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room. Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.**

Lily, even though she could clearly see Harry from where she sat, sighed in relief at the thought of the gun finally being gone.

**"Anyway - Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here - I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right." From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing. **

"It didn't even taste like his regular cakes," Harry mumbled to Ron, who laughed.

**Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, "Who are you?"**

"Harry!" Hermione laughed, shaking her head at him and his tact.

**The giant chuckled.**

**"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm.**

**"What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind." **

Lily groaned, before looking at Hagrid, who had at least looked ashamed at drinking in front of young kids, or thinking about it.

**His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shriveled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warmth wash over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath.**

**The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea. Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley."**

"Like he needs fattening anymore." George muttered.

**The giant chuckled darkly.**

**"Yet great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry." He passed the sausages to Harry, who was so hungry he had never tasted anything so wonderful, but he still couldn't take his eyes off the giant. Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, he said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are."**

"At least you apologized, first." Hermione laughed before continuing.

**The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.**

**"Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts - yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course.**

**"Er - no," said Harry. Hagrid looked shocked.**

**"Sorry," Harry said quickly.**

"There's no need to be sorry, Harry." Remus sighed.

**"Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yet parents learned it all?"**

**"All what?" asked Harry.**

**"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. "Now wait jus' one second!" He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.**

**"Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy - this boy! - knows nothin' abou' - about ANYTHING?"**

"Harry, you won't like that, will you?" Hermione laughed, knowing her friend well enough, before continuing,

**Harry thought this was going a bit far. He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad.**

**"I know some things," he said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff."**

"What was your favorite subject, Harry?" Harry grinned, before he edged closer to Hermione and whispered in her ear. She nodded, before continuing.

**But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."**

**"What world?" Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.**

**"DURSLEY!" he boomed. Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble." Hagrid stared wildly at Harry.**

"Mimblewimble?"

**"But yeh must know about yet mom and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You're famous."**

**"What? My - my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?"**

"That's the first thing you think of to ask?" Someone from Hufflepuff asks, and Harry only shrugs.

**"Yeh don' know... yeh don' know..." Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare.**

**"Yeh don' know what yeh are?" he said finally. Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.**

"Cause that didn't make me feel more like a freak than before." Harry mumbled so only Hermione and Sirius could hear.

**"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sit! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!" **

"Like you'll stop him from saying anything!" Tonks yells.

**A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.**

**"You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years?"**

**"Kept what from me?" said Harry eagerly.**

**"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic. Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.**

**"Ah, go boil yet heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry - yer a wizard." There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.**

**"- a what?" gasped Harry.**

**"A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter."**

"FINALLY!" Many people shouted.

**Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to Mr. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea. He pulled out the letter and read:**

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

**Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE**

**(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme**

**Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**

**Dear Mr. Potter,**

**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**

**Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.**

**Yours sincerely,**

**Minerva McGonagall,**

**Deputy Headmistress**

"Hasn't changed at all, has it, Minnie?" James snorted.

**Questions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, **

**"What does it mean, they await my owl?"**

"Seriously? That's your first question, Potter?" Snape and Malfoy asked,

"Seeing as I got the letter on my birthday, and my birthday is July 31st, and that was the day they wanted my owl – yes, that was my first question." Harry answered, a glare on his face.

**"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl - a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl - a long quill, and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry could**

**read upside down:**

"You were able to read that upside down? I can't even read Hagrid's writing upside right!" Ron asked, shocked.

**Dear Professor Dumbledore,**

**Given Harry his letter. Taking him to buy his things tomorrow. Weather's horrible. Hope you're Well.**

**Hagrid**

**Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone. Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly.**

"Good job, Harry." Lily laughs, a feeling of giddiness in her.

**"Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.**

**"He's not going," he said. Hagrid grunted.**

**"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," he said.**

**"A what?" said Harry, interested.**

**"A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call nonmagic folk like thern. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."**

**"We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!"**

Hermione had to stop reading here, as the anger in her voice was easily detectable and she couldn't read while being so angry. It took a couple of minutes for her to be calm, and once she was, she continued reading.

**"You knew?" said Harry. "You knew I'm a - a wizard?"**

**"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that-that school-and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was - a freak! **

At this, Lily looks down with tears in her eyes and James takes her hand and gives it a squeeze, anger at Petunia making her sister feel this way.

**But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"**

**She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years. **

She probably had been, Lily couldn't help but think.

**"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as - as - abnormal - and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!" **

Hermione – and many other females in the hall – gasped at this line. Harry could tell instantly that Hermione was angry at Harry's aunt, but upset for him, and after a few minutes of unexpected outrage of the line, Hermione quietly asked something that he couldn't hear.

"Is that how they really told you, Harry?" She repeated, tears lining her eyes. Harry could only nod, as she had continued reading.

**Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!"**

**"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!"**

And I hate it, too. Harry thought, flattening his bangs over his scar.

**"But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently. The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.**

**"I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh - but someone's gotta - yeh can't go off ter**

**Hogwarts not knowin'." He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.**

"Imagine if you had gone off to Hogwarts not knowin'?" Ron stated and Harry cringed at the idea, never wanting to imagine something like that.

**"Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh - mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it..." He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with - with a person called - but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows -"**

**"Who? "**

"He won't tell ya, Harry. Hagrid hates the name." Remus says while Harry grins over at his friends.

**"Well - I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."**

**"Why not?"**

**"Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went... bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was..." Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.**

"See?" Fred said, nodding his head at how Hagrid wouldn't say the name.

**"Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.**

**"Nah -can't spell it. All right - Voldemort. " **

Fred and Remus looked at Harry, surprised that Hagrid actually said the name for him. Everyone else in the hall though, flinched, and Harry just rolled his eyes.

**Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this - this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too - some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches... terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him - an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway."**

**"Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before... probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side."**

"Or possibly because we'd seen enough of the damage that Voldemort caused to not want to join him? Or because we didn't believe in his belief system," Lily muttered.

**"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em... maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' - an' -" Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.**

**"Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad - knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find - anyway..." "You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then - an' this is the real myst'ry of**

**the thing - he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a Powerful, evil curse touches yeh - took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even - but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age - the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts –**

At this, both Amelia and Molly flinched before looking down briefly in order to remember the loved ones lost.

-** an' you was only a baby, an' you lived."**

**Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before - and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel**

**laugh. **

Hermione stopped reading once more, put the book down and quickly hugged Harry, muttering how he shouldn't have to remember something that horrid. Harry only shrugged before going back to petting Snuffles, who whimpered.

**Hagrid was watching him sadly.**

**"Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot..."**

"Why would Dumbledore send Harry to my sisters, when he knew that Harry was to go to Sirius no matter what?" Lily asked James, anger obvious in her voice, alongside confusion as to how Sirius still hadn't shown up, even after ten years.

**"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.**

**"Now, you listen here, boy," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured—"**

Sirius was heard growling, and many people couldn't help but wonder who the dog was and how he was so close to the boy. Remus was staring angrily at the book and Minerva had her hands clenched tightly in fists. Dolores, however, silently agreed with the muggle one more.

-** "and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdos, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion - asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types - just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end -" But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley -I'm warning you - one more word... "**

**In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.**

**"That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor. Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them.**

**"But what happened to Vol-, sorry - I mean, You-Know-Who?" **

**"Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see... he was gettin' more an' more powerful - why'd he go? "Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back. Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on - I dunno what it was, no one does - but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."**

**Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake. A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn't they been turned**

**into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard? If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football?**

"Doesn't work like that, mate." Ron stated sadly, vowing to curse the Dursley's for hurting his friend, and making him doubt himself.

**"Hagrid," he said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard."**

**To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled. "Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?"**

**Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it... every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry... chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach... dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back... and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realizing he was doing it? Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him? Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him.**

**"See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard - you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts." But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.**

"I don't get it," A first year Gryffindor began, "Why won't he let you go if he hates you so much?"

Sighing, Harry replied bitterly, "Because he doesn't want me to have fun and be happy."

**"Haven't I told you he's not going?" he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish - spell books and wands and -"**

**"If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter' s son goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. His name's been down ever since he was born. He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and he won't know himself. He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled-"**

**"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" **

"Uh oh. Hagrid won't like that." James and Fred said at the same time, with George grinning.

- **yelled Uncle Vernon. But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "NEVER," he thundered, "- INSULT- ALBUS- DUMBLEDORE IN-FRONT- OF- ME!"**

**He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley - there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers. **

The great hall burst into laughter upon hearing this, with Fred and George clapping.

**Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them. Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.**

**"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."**

More laughter erupted from all of the tables.

**He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows. "Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm - er - not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff**

**- one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job**

**"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry.**

**"Oh, well - I was at Hogwarts meself but I - er - got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore." **

"**Why were you expelled?"**

"He'll never answer that Ha—" Fred began, before seeing the trio smirking at him.

"—Awh, hell, when do we find out?" George finished laughing.

**"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that." He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry.**

**"You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets."**

Hermione finished.

"Who wants to read next?" Harry laughed, and before anyone could do anything about it, the book flew at Malfoy due to Harry's wand.

"I think this git over here should read it."


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER FIVE: DIAGON ALLEY** Malfoy began, before paling a little bit.

**Harry woke early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight.**

**"It was a dream, he told himself firmly. "I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard."**

Many people looked down at this.

**There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.**

**And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door, Harry thought, his heart sinking. But he still didn't open his eyes. It had been such a good dream.**

**Tap. Tap. Tap.**

"She's never nice when waking people up, sweetie," Lily murmured.

**"All right," Harry mumbled, "I'm getting up." He sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off him. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak. Harry scrambled to his feet, so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him. He went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat.**

**"Don't do that." Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat. **

"Ah, a Daily Prophet owl." Rita Skeeter said silently, looking at the book with happiness. Skeeter, who had been quiet throughout the whole book so far, could only listen with rapt attention as she heard about the true life of Harry Potter, and do nothing about it.

**"Hagrid!" said Harry loudly. "There's an owl"**

**"Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa.**

"Hagrid!" McGonagall hissed.

"I'm sure he just wanted Harry to get use to everything, Minnie." James interrupted, knowing very well how Minerva could have gone on and on.

**"What?"**

**"He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets." Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets - bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags... finally, Harry pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins.**

**"Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily.**

**"Knuts?"**

**"The little bronze ones." Harry counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out his leg so Harry could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off through the open window.**

**Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched.**

**"Best be off, Harry, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school." Harry was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. He had just thought of something that made him feel as though the happy balloon inside him had got a puncture.**

**"Um - Hagrid?"**

**"Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots.**

**"I haven't got any money - and you heard Uncle Vernon last night ... he won't pay for me to go and learn magic."**

"Like we'd leave you with no money." James scoffed quietly while Lily rubbed his arm soothingly.

**"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?"**

**"But if their house was destroyed -"**

"We don't keep everything in our houses, Harry." Charlie Weasley said, smiling at how naïve Harry seemed to be when he was young.

**"They didn' keep their gold in the house, boy! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold - an' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither."**

**"Wizards have banks?"**

**"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins." Harry dropped the bit of sausage he was holding.**

**"Goblins?"**

**"Yeah - so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, Harry. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe - 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." **

"This must've been when the curious Harry came about." Bill laughed, while his parents shook their heads, but not without wondering the same thing.

**Hagrid drew himself up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you gettin' things from Gringotts - knows he can trust me, see. Got everythin'? Come on, then."**

**Harry followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm. **

**"How did you get here?" Harry asked, looking around for another boat.**

**"Flew," said Hagrid.**

Many eyebrows went up at this, trying to imagine Hagrid flying, while Hagrid just blushed at the thought.

**"Flew?"**

**"Yeah - but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh." They settled down in the boat, Harry still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.**

**"Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving Harry another of his sideways looks. **

**"If I was ter - er - speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?"**

**"Of course not," said Harry, eager to see more magic. Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off toward land.**

**"Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Harry asked. **

"Why, are you going to try and rob the place, Harry?" Fred grinned. Before Harry could reply though, a piece of paper floated down in front of him. Picking it up, he read it quickly before grinning and reading it aloud.

_Actually, Fred, we're hoping to change that. You see, in Harry's seventh year, Harry, Hermione and your brother Ron are busy fighting the war, finding ways to kill him, as he has a way of keeping himself alive. While being too busy to go to school, the three of them were definitely not too busy to break into Gringotts and rob a vault of something that could help them._

Everyone just stared in shock at Harry, who couldn't help but grin, before he turned to Remus and Sirius.

"Does that mean I'd make in as a Marauder?"

Snorting, Remus shook his head, full out laughing as Sirius guffawed in dog form and the twins looked confused but still incredibly impressed.

"I wonder how that would change though?" Hermione questioned.

**"Spells - enchantments," said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he spoke. "They say there's dragons guardin' the high security vaults."**

"Are there dragons, Charl?" Bill asked and Charlie just shrugged, though grinned a little.

"**And then yeh gotta find yer way - Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat." Harry sat and thought about this while Hagrid read his newspaper, the Daily Prophet. Harry had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, he'd never had so many questions in his life.**

**"Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual," Hagrid muttered, turning the page.**

**"There's a Ministry of Magic?" Harry asked, before he could stop himself.**

**"'Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o'course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one."**

"HEY!" Fudge shouted, pouting.

"**So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice."**

"I do no such thing!" He shouted once more, while Dolores just glared at the book, making Malfoy feel uncomfortable.

**"But what does a Ministry of Magic do?"**

**"Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country."**

**"Why?"**

**"Why? Blimey, Harry, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone." At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. Hagrid folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street. Passersby stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. Harry couldn't blame them. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, Harry? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?"**

"Please Hagrid, be a little more obvious," Minerva interrupted, rolling her eyes at Hagrid.

**"Hagrid," said Harry, panting a bit as he ran to keep up, "did you say there are dragons at Gringotts?"**

**"Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon."**

**"You'd like one?"**

**"Wanted one ever since I was a kid - here we go."**

The trio looked at one another, shaking their heads, while Charlie laughed, suddenly remembering that night four years ago.

**They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand "Muggle money," as he called it, gave the bills to Harry so he could buy their tickets. People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and**

**sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent.**

**"Still got yer letter, Harry?" he asked as he counted stitches. Harry took the parchment envelope out of his pocket.**

**"Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need." Harry unfolded a second piece of paper he hadn't noticed the night before, and read:**

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

**UNIFORM**

**First-year students will require:**

**1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)**

**2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear**

"Which we never ever use!" Fred interrupted quickly, with many others nodding.

**3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)**

**4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)**

**Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags**

"In case we forget our names –"

"Or lose our clothes while wearing them—"

"Or –"

"We get it, Weasley twins!" McGonagall interrupted, others laughing at the train of thought the twins were going into.

**COURSE BOOKS**

**All students should have a copy of each of the following:**

**The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk**

**A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot**

**Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling**

**A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic Switch**

**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore**

**Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger**

**Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander**

**The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble**

"Did anyone else noticed that the authors had something in their name related to what they were writing about?" Harry interrupted, wanting to see who had payed attention at that time. A few hands were raised, a few people nodded and some agreed out loud, while Hermione just beamed at Harry for also noticing.

**OTHER EQUIPMENT**

**Wand **

**Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) set**

**Glass or crystal phials**

**Telescope set**

**Brass scales**

**Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad**

**PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS**

"Which always sucks," James said and Minerva laughed, realizing that pretty soon, James wouldn't need to be so sullen about the rule.

**"Can we buy all this in London?" Harry wondered aloud.**

**"If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid. Harry had never been to London before. Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground, and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow. **

**"I don't know how the Muggles manage without magic," he said as they climbed a broken-down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops. Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all Harry had to do was keep close behind him. They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger restaurants and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand. This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people. Could there really be piles of wizard gold buried miles beneath them? Were there really shops that sold spell books and broomsticks? Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursleys had cooked up? **

Doubt it kiddo, they have no humor, Sirius thought to himself, wishing he could transform out of his dog form.

**If Harry hadn't known that the Dursleys had no sense of humor, he might have thought so; yet somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told him so far was unbelievable, Harry couldn't help trusting him.**

**"This is it," said Hagrid, coming to a halt, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place." It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out, Harry wouldn't have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he and Hagrid could see it. **

"Very detailed observations, Potter." Mad-Eye muttered, his eye wandering everywhere.

**Before he could mention this, Hagrid had steered him inside. For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut. The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"**

**"Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Harry's shoulder and making Harry's knees buckle.**

**"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at Harry, "is this - can this be -?" The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.**

**"Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Harry Potter... what an **

**honor." He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes.**

"God, I hated all that attention." Severus heard Potter say, and he couldn't help but wonder if the boy was truly lying. In fact, he knew he was, because Potter was an attention-seeking git just like his damn father was.

**"Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back." Harry didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at him. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out. Hagrid was beaming. Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Harry found himself shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.**

**"Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."**

**"So proud, Mr. Potter, I'm just so proud."**

**"Always wanted to shake your hand - I'm all of a flutter."**

**"Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle."**

**"I've seen you before!" said Harry, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement. "You bowed to me once in a shop."**

**"He remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? He remembers me!" **

"Everyone remembers you, Diggle." James laughed.

**Harry shook hands again and again - Doris Crockford kept coming back for more. A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching.**

**"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Harry, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."**

Harry flinched, remembering the professor, and Sirius, having felt the flinch, looked at his godson in concern.

**"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry's hand, "c-can't t-tell you how p- pleased I am to meet you."**

**"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?"**

**"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it. "N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" He laughed nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought. But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Harry to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble.**

**"Must get on - lots ter buy. Come on, Harry." Doris Crockford shook Harry's hand one last time, and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash cans and a few weeds. Hagrid grinned at Harry.**

**"Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh - mind you, he's usually tremblin'."**

**"Is he always that nervous?"**

"And now we know why, too." Hermione grimaced.

**"Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience... They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag - never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject now, where's me umbrella?"**

"How can he teach it, then?" Lily muttered, absolutely confused by why Albus would even hire someone like Quirrell if he was that afraid. She vowed to think about it some more when she got the chance.

**Vampires? Hags? Harry's head was swimming. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the trash can.**

**"Three up... two across he muttered. "Right, stand back, Harry." He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella. The brick he had touched quivered - it wriggled - in the middle, a small hole appeared - it grew wider and wider - a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.**

**"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley." He grinned at Harry's amazement. They stepped through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall. The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons - All Sizes - Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver - Self-Stirring - Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.**

**"Yeah, you'll be needin' one," said Hagrid, "but we gotta get yer money first." Harry wished he had about eight more eyes. **

"We all did, Harry." Hermione smiled lightly, squeezing his hand lightly before letting go.

**He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, seventeen Sickles an ounce, they're mad..." **

"Oh." Molly mumbled, and her kids, after looking at her, realized that Harry had actually seen her without knowing it.

**A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium - Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Harry's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. **

James, and every other quidditch fan, got excited about hearing the word.

**"Look," Harry heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand - fastest ever -" There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes,**

**tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon...**

**"Gringotts," said Hagrid.**

**They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was – **

**"Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved**

**upon them:**

**Enter, stranger, but take heed**

**Of what awaits the sin of greed,**

**For those who take, but do not earn,**

**Must pay most dearly in their turn.**

**So if you seek beneath our floors**

**A treasure that was never yours,**

**Thief, you have been warned, beware**

**Of finding more than treasure there.**

**"Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid. **

"Can't believe you guys do!" Fred mumbled, pouting a little.

**A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Harry made for the counter.**

**"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter's safe."**

**"You have his key, Sir?"**

**"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers. The goblin wrinkled his nose. Harry watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals.**

**"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key. The goblin looked at it closely.**

**"That seems to be in order."**

**"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the You Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen." The goblin read the letter carefully.**

**"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!" Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, he and Harry followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall.**

**"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Harry asked.**

"And the curiosity starts," Snape muttered, James looking over at him with a slight glare. He couldn't wait to hear his sons opinion about this git, that's sure.

**"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that."**

"Should've just told him, Hagrid." Remus muttered, shaking his head, not knowing how right he was about that.

**Griphook held the door open for them. Harry, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in - Hagrid with some difficulty - and were off. At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Harry tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible. **

"The fact that you remembered that much anyways is still impressive, kid." Moody said from the back, having moved from the front to get a better view on everyone.

**The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering. Harry's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them wide open. Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late - - they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor. I never know," Harry called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart,**

**"What's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?"**

**"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it," said Hagrid. "An' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick." He did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling. Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.**

**"All yours," smiled Hagrid. All Harry's - it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from him faster than blinking. How often had they complained how much Harry cost them to keep? And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to him, buried deep under London. Hagrid helped Harry pile some of it into a bag.**

"But that's just his-" Lily began, looking at James. James, who knew what Lily was thinking, looked at Albus, who wouldn't look back. James knew instantly Harry didn't know about the actual vault, and grew angry at that, before looking at Remus and Sirius.

With an imperceptible nod, the two friends agreed to tell Harry about the _real_ vault when this was said and done with.

**"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough."**

"It actually sounded more complicated than muggle money." Both Harry and Hermione said, before grinning at one another.

"**Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh." He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?"**

**"One speed only," said Griphook. They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Harry leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom,**

"Meep! Harry!" Lily screeched, worry about her son leaking through.

- ** but Hagrid groaned and pulled him back by the scruff of his neck. Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole.**

**"Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.**

"Cool."

**"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook.**

"Awh."

**"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Harry asked.**

**"About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin. Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault, Harry was sure, and he leaned forward eagerly,**

As did everyone else who was listening to the book.

- ** expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least - but at first he thought it was empty. **

"What?" Many people exclaimed, confusion clouding their thoughts.

**Then he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. **

"Huh?" Many people exclaimed. Lily however, being as smart as she was, had widen her eyes in shock and distress, choking back a sob at wondering how Harry could get caught up in the stone.

**Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Harry longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask.**

**"Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut," said Hagrid. One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Harry didn't know where to run first now that he had a bag**

**full of money. He didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound to know that he was holding more money than he'd had in his whole life - more money than even Dudley had ever had.**

**"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. **

Malfoy paled once more at hearing this, and Ron, having heard about the incident on the train, chuckled.

**"Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron?"**

"HAGRID!" Many of the older females exclaimed, shaking their heads.

"**I hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so Harry entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous. Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.**

**"Hogwarts, clear?" she said, when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot here - another young man being fitted up just now, in fact. " In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him) slipped a long robe over his**

**head, and began to pin it to the right length.**

**"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?"**

**"Yes," said Harry.**

**"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," **

"Why? The wand is best suited for the wizard buying it. Yeesh." Lily said, rolling her eyes while James, at the same time, had been saying, "It's probably a Malfoy."

- **said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."**

"Definitely a Malfoy. Especially by considering how pale Draco is, and how angry his father looks." Remus snorted, while many of the Gryffindors just laughed.

**Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley.**

**"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.**

**"No," said Harry.**

**"Play Quidditch at all?"**

**"No," Harry said again, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.**

**"I do - Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"**

**"No," said Harry, feeling more stupid by the minute.**

**"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been - imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"**

Many of the Hufflepuffs glared at Malfoy for saying this, knowing by now he was the one in the book.

**"Mmm," said Harry, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting.**

**"I say, look at that man!" said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Harry and pointing at two large ice creams to show he couldn't come in.**

**"That's Hagrid," said Harry, pleased to know something the boy didn't.**

**"He works at Hogwarts."**

**"Oh," said the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"**

**"He's the gamekeeper," said Harry. He was liking the boy less and less every second.**

**"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage - lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed."**

**"I think he's brilliant," said Harry coldly.**

**"Do you?" said the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"**

**"They're dead," said Harry shortly. He didn't feel much like going into the matter with this boy.**

**"Oh, sorry," said the other, not sounding sorry at all. "But they were our kind, weren't they?"**

The Great Hall was completely silent at that question, choosing to either glare at Malfoy and his parents for raising him like that, or grimace at the rudeness of the question itself.

Severus shook his head, before putting it in his hands, wondering where his own godson's tact came from.

**"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean." **

**"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"**

By now, even more people were glaring at Malfoy, and Malfoy senior, not liking the wrong kind of attention his son was getting, glared back.

**But before Harry could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, my dear," and Harry, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool.**

**"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy. Harry was rather quiet as he ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought him (chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts).**

**"What's up?" said Hagrid.**

**"Nothing," Harry lied. They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Harry cheered up a bit when he found a bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote. When they had left the shop, he said, "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"**

**"Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know - not knowin' about Quidditch!"**

**"Don't make me feel worse," said Harry. He told Hagrid about the pate boy in Madam Malkin's.**

**"-and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in."**

**"Yer not from a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh were - he's grown up knowin' yer name if his parents are wizardin' folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh. Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line o' Muggles - look at yer mum! Look**

**what she had fer a sister!"**

**"So what is Quidditch?"**

"The best thing ever, kiddo." James muttered, a grin on his face that Harry couldn't help but laugh at.

**"It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like - like soccer in the Muggle world - everyone follows Quidditch - played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls - sorta hard ter explain the rules."**

**"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"**

**"School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but -"**

"OI!" Many of the Hufflepuffs shouted, not thrilled with how everyone disregarded their house.

**"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff" said Harry gloomily.**

**"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one."**

**"Vol-, sorry - You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?"**

"Why did you keep saying You-Know-Who and not Voldemort?" Hermione interrupted, curious as to what changed.

Shrugging, Harry answered, "I figured it's what everyone did, and I didn't even want to be more different, or make anyone uncomfortable, despite wanting to say his name." Hermione nodded, fine with that answer before waiting for Malfoy to continue.

**"Years an' years ago," said Hagrid. They bought Harry's school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as**

**paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these. Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue- Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian. **

**"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."**

Many people laughed here.

**"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level." Hagrid wouldn't let Harry buy a solid gold cauldron, either ("It says pewter on yer list"), but they got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited**

**the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a**

**supply of some basic potion ingredients for Harry, Harry himself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop).**

"I'll have you know, before I met the Potions Master, I was actually _interested_ in Potions." Harry scowled at Snape, who flinched, realizing his grudge against Potters was at fault. But he wouldn't apologize, that's for sure.

**Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked Harry's list again.**

**"Just yer wand left - A yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present." Harry felt himself go red.**

**"You don't have to -"**

**"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at - an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'." Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. He couldn't stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell.**

**"Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. Just Ollivanders left now - only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand." A magic wand... this was what Harry had been really looking forward to.**

"We all look forward to it, mate. That and Flying practice," Ron laughed while Harry shrugged and nodded in agreement.

**The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window. A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped**

**inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. Harry felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.**

Everyone stared in shock at Harry, who could only stare in confusion.

"What?"

"Harry, only really powerful wizards can feel secret magic like that." Hermione said gently, while quickly writing on her parchment, _Magic, Core, Blocked? _

"Oh." Harry said, even more confused after he saw what she wrote. She smiled, before looking at Sirius who nodded quickly, wanting to know the same thing.

**"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair.**

Hagrid blushed at this.

**An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop. **

**"Hello," said Harry awkwardly.**

**"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work." Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.**

**"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it - it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course." Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.**

**"And that's where..." Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger.**

"Creeeeepy," James muttered, his pride about Lily's and his' wand work being forgotten for the time being.

**"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly.**

**"Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands... well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do..." He shook his head and then, to Harry's relief, spotted Hagrid.**

**"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again... Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"**

**"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.**

**"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern. **

**"Er - yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.**

**"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.**

**"Oh, no, sit," said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.**

Everyone laughed, knowing they had already seen Hagrid produce magic three times in the book, and more times sure to come soon.

**"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. "Well, now - Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"**

**"Er - well, I'm right-handed," said Harry.**

**"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand." **

Harry looked confused at this, as did Hermione, who wrote it down on her parchment.

"Then why can we use each other's wands really well?" He asked, looking at Minerva and Fillius, who also looked shocked.

"Is this another thing I can't know?" Harry asked bitterly, and all the members of the Order that were present, flinched.

**Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.**

**"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. just take it and give it a wave." Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.**

**"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try -" Harry tried - but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.**

**"No, no -here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out." Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.**

**"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere - I wonder, now - - yes, why not - unusual combination - holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple." Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. **

Everyone sighed at remembering the feeling of picking their wand for the first time, and James couldn't help but notice that Harry had shot out the colors of Gryffindor.

**Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious... "**

**He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious... curious.."**

**"Sorry," said Harry, "but what's curious?"**

**Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.**

**"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather - just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother why, its brother gave you that scar." Harry swallowed.**

Both Hermione and Lily gasped while James flinched, not happy with hearing that, but knowing it had to have happened from what he can remember from this past June.

**"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember... I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter... After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things - terrible, yes, but great." Harry shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. He paid**

**seven gold Galleons for his wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.**

**The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Harry didn't speak at all as they walked down the road; he didn't even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry's lap. Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Harry only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder.**

**"Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said. He bought Harry a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow. **

**"You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid. Harry wasn't sure he could explain. He'd just had the best birthday of his life - and yet - he chewed his hamburger, trying to find the words.**

**"Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander... but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry - I mean, the night my parents died." **

"And I sure as hell don't know why people think I would want to do anything on the day they died." Harry mumbled, remembering all of the Halloween fests he's wanted to miss.

**Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile.**

**"Don' you worry, Harry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. Just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts - I did - still do, 'smatter of fact." Hagrid helped Harry on to the train that would take him back to the Dursleys, then handed him an envelope. "Yer ticket fer Hogwarts, " he said. "First o' September - King's Cross - it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me... See yeh soon, Harry."**

**The train pulled out of the station. Harry wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; he rose in his seat and pressed his nose against the window, but he blinked and Hagrid had gone.**

"Who wants to read next?"

"I will," Ron replied, knowing this is where he and Harry meet for the first time.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SIX, THE JOURNEY FROM PLATFORM NINE AND THREE-QUARTERS **Ron started, licking his lips as he did so.

**Harry's last month with the Dursleys wasn't fun. True, Dudley was now so scared of Harry he wouldn't stay in the same room, while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't shut Harry in his cupboard, force him to do anything, or shout at him - in fact, they didn't speak to him at all. Half terrified, half furious, they acted as though any chair with Harry**

**in it were empty. Although this was an improvement in many ways, it did become a bit depressing after a while. Harry kept to his room, with his new owl for company. He had decided to call her Hedwig, a name he had found in A History of Magic. His school books were very interesting. He lay on his bed reading late into the night, **

"HOLD UP!" Fred shouted while standing up alongside George, effectively shutting Ron up from continuing the page.

"You mean to say—"

"You read your textbooks—"

"Stayed up late into the night reading them—"

"And found them interesting?" Fred finished, his mouth open in shock. Harry, only able to shrug, did so before grinning.

"It was a whole new world, guys. I was interested in knowing everything so I wasn't completely out of the loop and made fun of." Fred nodded, before sitting back down and patted Harry on the back.

**Hedwig swooping in and out of the open window as she pleased. It was lucky that Aunt Petunia didn't come in to vacuum anymore, because Hedwig kept bringing back dead mice. Every night before he went to sleep, Harry ticked off another day on the piece of paper he had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first. **

I know what that's like, pup. Sirius thought, laying on the ground as he did so.

**On the last day of August he thought he'd better speak to his aunt and uncle about getting to King's Cross station the next day, so he went down to the living room where they were watching a quiz show on television. He cleared his throat to let them know he was there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room.**

Many people laughed at this, happy he was getting his just deserts.

**"Er - Uncle Vernon?"**

**Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was listening.**

**"Er - I need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to - to go to Hogwarts."**

**Uncle Vernon grunted again.**

**"Would it be all right if you gave me a lift?"**

**Grunt. Harry supposed that meant yes.**

**"Thank you." He was about to go back upstairs when Uncle Vernon actually spoke.**

**"Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?" Harry didn't say anything.**

"They're illegal, and Petunia knows that!" Lily interrupted, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.

**"Where is this school, anyway?"**

**"I don't know," said Harry, realizing this for the first time. He pulled the ticket Hagrid had given him out of his pocket.**

**"I just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock," he read.**

**His aunt and uncle stared.**

**"Platform what?"**

**"Nine and three-quarters."**

**"Don't talk rubbish," said Uncle Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters."**

"He's not talking rubbish, and Petunia knows, as she's been there with me before!" Lily shouted, her fists clenched, while James tried to calm her down and Snape just stared in envy.

**"It's on my ticket."**

**"Barking,"**

Snuffles barked at this, causing many people to laugh.

- ** said Uncle Vernon, "howling mad, the lot of them. You'll see. You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother."**

"Bastard," James mumbled, wanting his revenge on these people who he had to call family.

**"Why are you going to London?" Harry asked, trying to keep things friendly.**

**"Taking Dudley to the hospital," growled Uncle Vernon. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings." **

**Harry woke at five o'clock the next morning and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep. He got up and pulled on his jeans because he didn't want to walk into the station in his wizard's robes - he'd change on the train.**

"Clever, Potter." Mad-Eye said, still in the back.

**He checked his Hogwarts list yet again to make sure he had everything he needed, saw that Hedwig was shut safely in her cage, and then paced the room, waiting for the Dursleys to get up. Two hours later, Harry's huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into the Dursleys' car, Aunt Petunia had talked Dudley into sitting next to Harry, and they had set off. They reached King's Cross at half past ten. Uncle Vernon dumped Harry's trunk onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for him. Harry thought this was strangely kind until Uncle Vernon stopped dead, facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face.**

**"Well, there you are, boy. Platform nine - platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?" He was quite right, of course. There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all.**

**"Have a good term," said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile. He left without another word. Harry turned and saw the Dursleys drive away. All three of them were laughing. **

James and Lily growled at this, even more angry than before.

**Harry's mouth went rather dry. What on earth was he going to do? He was starting to attract a lot of funny looks, because of Hedwig. He'd have to ask someone. He stopped a passing guard, but didn't dare mention platform nine and three-quarters. The guard had never heard of Hogwarts and when Harry couldn't even tell him what part of the country it was in, he started to get annoyed, as though Harry was being stupid on purpose. Getting**

**desperate, Harry asked for the train that left at eleven o'clock, but the guard said there wasn't one. In the end the guard strode away, muttering about time wasters. Harry was now trying hard not to panic. According to the large clock over the arrivals board, he had ten minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts and he had no idea how to do it; he was stranded in the middle of a station with a trunk he could hardly lift, a pocket full of wizard money, and a large owl. Hagrid must have forgotten to tell him something you had to do, like tapping the third brick on the left to get into Diagon Alley. He wondered if he should get out his wand and start tapping the ticket inspector's stand between platforms nine and ten. **

"Bad idea, Potter." Mad Eye spoke again, and Harry wondered why he was constantly talking about how his ideas were good, bad, clever etc.

**At that moment a group of people passed just behind him and he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

**"- packed with Muggles, of course -" Harry swung round. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair. **

"WEASLEY'S!" Fred and George shouted, causing everyone to laugh and roll their eyes.

**Each of them was pushing a trunk like Harry's in front of him - and they had an owl. Heart hammering, Harry pushed his cart after them. They stopped and so did he, just near enough to hear what they were saying.**

**"Now, what's the platform number?" said the boys' mother.**

**"Nine and three-quarters!" piped a small girl, also red-headed, who was holding her hand, "Mom, can't I go... "**

**"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first." What looked like the oldest boy marched toward platforms nine and ten. Harry watched, careful not to blink in case he missed it - but just as the boy reached the dividing barrier between the two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of him and by the time the last backpack had cleared away, the boy had vanished.**

"That's just your luck, mate." George said, shaking his head, snorting.

**"Fred, you next," the plump woman said.**

**"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"**

**"Sorry, George, dear."**

**"Only joking, I am Fred," **

Many people laughed, and James looked at the twins before looking at Sirius and laughed.

- **said the boy, and off he went. His twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done so, because a second later, he had gone - but how had he done it? Now the third brother was walking briskly toward the barrier he was almost there - and then, quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere. There was nothing else for it.**

**"Excuse me," Harry said to the plump woman.**

**"Hello, dear," she said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too." She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose.**

"Jeeze, thanks mate." Ron laughed.

**"Yes," said Harry. "The thing is - the thing is, I don't know how to -"**

**"How to get onto the platform?" she said kindly, and Harry nodded.**

**"Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron."**

**"Er - okay," said Harry. He pushed his trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid. He started to walk toward it. People jostled him on their way to platforms nine and ten. Harry walked more quickly. He was going to smash right into that barrier and then he'd be in trouble - leaning forward on his cart, he broke into a heavy run - the barrier was coming nearer and nearer - he wouldn't be able to stop - the cart was out of control - he was a foot away - he closed his eyes ready for the crash –**

"Not at that time, at least," Ron muttered before continuing, earning many confused looks.

**It didn't come... he kept on running... he opened his eyes. A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven O'clock. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it, He had done it. Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks. The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Harry pushed his cart off down the platform in search of an empty seat. He passed a round-faced boy who was saying, "Gran, I've lost my toad again."**

Neville blushed and looked down, trying not to laugh at his eleven year old self.

**"Oh, Neville," he heard the old woman sigh. A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd.**

**"Give us a look, Lee, go on." The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg. Harry pressed on through the crowd until he found an empty compartment near the end of the train. He put Hedwig inside first and then started to shove and heave his trunk toward the train door. He tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully on his foot.**

**"Want a hand?" It was one of the red-haired twins he'd followed through the barrier.**

**"Yes, please," Harry panted.**

**"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!" With the twins' help, Harry's trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.**

**"Thanks," said Harry, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes.**

**"What's that?" said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Harry's lightning scar.**

**"Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you?"**

**"He is," said the first twin. "Aren't you?" he added to Harry.**

**"What?" said Harry.**

**"Harry Potter, "chorused the twins.**

**"Oh, him," **

Everyone laughed, and Harry blushed, sinking lower into his seat than what he was already at, causing even more people to laugh.

- **said Harry. "I mean, yes, I am."**

**The two boys gawked at him, and Harry felt himself turning red. Then, to his relief, a voice came floating in through the train's open door.**

**"Fred? George? Are you there?"**

**"Coming, Mom." With a last look at Harry, the twins hopped off the train. Harry sat down next to the window where, half hidden, he could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying. Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief.**

**"Ron, you've got something on your nose." The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose.**

**"Mom - geroff" He wriggled free.**

**"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" said one of the twins.**

**"Shut up," said Ron.**

**"Where's Percy?" said their mother.**

**"He's coming now." The oldest boy came striding into sight. He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Harry noticed a shiny silver badge on his chest with the letter P on it.**

**"Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves -"**

**"Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."**

**"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. **

**"Once -"**

**"Or twice -"**

**"A minute -"**

**"All summer -"**

**"Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect.**

**"How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" said one of the twins.**

**"Because he's a prefect," said their mother fondly. "All right, dear, well, have a good term - send me an owl when you get there." She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins.**

**"Now, you two - this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've - you've blown up a toilet or -"**

"You've done it now, Molly, giving them ideas like that." Remus laughed.

**"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."**

**"Great idea though, thanks, Mom."**

**"It's not funny. And look after Ron."**

**"Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us."**

**"Shut up," said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it.**

**"Hey, Mom, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?" Harry leaned back quickly so they couldn't see him looking.**

**"You know that black-haired boy who was near us in the station? Know who he is?"**

**"Who?"**

**"Harry Potter!" Harry heard the little girl's voice.**

**"Oh, Mom, can I go on the train and see him, Mom, eh please..."**

Ginny blushed, surprised that Harry's first time knowing about her was as a little girl who wanted to meet someone famous. Not the way she wanted him to meet her.

Lily looked over to the girl and then back at James.

"She acted like she was five, not 9 or 10." James snorted, trying to keep his laughter from bursting out.

**"You've already seen him, Ginny, and the poor boy isn't something you goggle at in a zoo. Is he really, Fred? How do you know?"**

**"Asked him. Saw his scar. It's really there - like lightning."**

**"Poor dear - no wonder he was alone, I wondered. He was ever so polite when he asked how to get onto the platform."**

**"Never mind that, do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?" Their mother suddenly became very stern.**

**"I forbid you to ask him, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though he needs reminding of that on his first day at school."**

**"All right, keep your hair on." A whistle sounded.**

**"Hurry up!" their mother said, and the three boys clambered onto the train. They leaned out of the window for her to kiss them good-bye, and their younger sister began to cry.**

**"Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls."**

**"We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat."**

"I never got it, either."

"We thought someone better deserved it, Gin." Fred grinned.

**"George!"**

**"Only joking, Mom."**

**The train began to move. Harry saw the boys' mother waving and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed, then she fell back and waved. Harry watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window. Harry felt a great leap of**

**excitement. He didn't know what he was going to but it had to be better than what he was leaving behind. The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest redheaded boy**

**came in. **

**"Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Harry.**

**"Everywhere else is full." Harry shook his head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Harry and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn't looked. Harry saw**

**he still had a black mark on his nose.**

"You couldn't tell me, mate?"

"Nope." Harry smirked.

**"Hey, Ron." The twins were back.**

**"Listen, we're going down the middle of the train - Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."**

Ron shuddered, and the twins looked at him, not realizing just how afraid their brother truly was of spiders.

**"Right," mumbled Ron.**

**"Harry," said the other twin, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then."**

**"Bye," said Harry and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.**

**"Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron blurted out. Harry nodded.**

**"Oh -well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron. "And have you really got - you know..." He pointed at Harry's forehead. Harry pulled back his bangs to show the lightning scar. Ron stared.**

**"So that's where You-Know-Who…?"**

**"Yes," said Harry, "but I can't remember it."**

**"Nothing?" said Ron eagerly**

"Sorry, mate. Kind of a little bugger back then, eh?"

**.**

**"Well - I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."**

**"Wow," said Ron. He sat and stared at Harry for a few moments, then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he looked quickly out of the window again.**

**"Are all your family wizards?" asked Harry, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found him.**

"Harry James Potter!" Lily scolded causing Harry to blush, not use to something like that.

"My middle name is James?" He asked, a little too late though, as Ron continued reading. Sirius however, heard him, and licked his leg quickly – as it was the only thing he could reach – to say yes.

**"Er - Yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think Mom's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."**

"Why on earth not?" Hermione questioned, offended.

**"So you must know loads of magic already." The Weasleys were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about.**

**"I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?"**

**"Horrible -well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers."**

**"Five," said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy. "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left - Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat."**

Everyone in Ron's family looked at him, vowing to talk to Ron about his superiority complex with his brothers, while the trio just grimaced at the mention of Pettigrew.

**Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was asleep.**

**"His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff - I mean, I got Scabbers instead." Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window. Harry didn't think there was anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl. After all, he'd never had any money in his life until a month ago, and he told Ron so, all about having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. This seemed to cheer Ron up.**

"Thanks mate, for cheering me up. But uh, I mean, well, I wasn't cheery about, well, you –"

"Ron, it's fine, I get it." Harry laughed.

**"... and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort" Ron gasped.**

**"What?" said Harry.**

**"You said You-Know-Who's name!" said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed. "I'd have thought you, of all people -"**

**"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name," said Harry, "I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn... I bet," he added, voicing for the first time something that had been worrying him a lot lately, "I bet I'm the worst in the class."**

McGonagall sighed, looked at James and Lily, and wondered why Harry wasn't doing better in his classes, like nearly everyone thought he'd be. She then looked over to Albus who looked guilty, before a small smile appeared on his face. Something definitely seemed fishy, there.

**"You won't be. There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough." While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London.**

**Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past. Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said,**

**"Anything off the cart, dears?" Harry, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to his feet, but Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches. Harry went**

**out into the corridor. He had never had any money for candy with the Dursleys, and now that he had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry - but the woman didn't have Mars Bars. **

"Chocolate bar!" Harry said, before anyone could ask and the professor could write it down on her list.

**What she did have were Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life. Not wanting to miss anything, he got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts. Ron stared as Harry brought it all back in to the compartment and tipped it onto an empty seat.**

**"Hungry, are you?"**

**"Starving," said Harry, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty. Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't like corned beef."**

Molly winced, realizing just how bad Ron felt about his family and being one of the last ones, other than Ginny.

**"Swap you for one of these," said Harry, holding up a pasty. "Go on -"**

**"You don't want this, it's all dry," said Ron. "She hasn't got much time," he added quickly, "you know, with five of us."**

**"Go on, have a pasty," said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Harry's pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten).**

**"What are these?" Harry asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. "They're not really frogs, are they?" He was starting to feel that nothing would surprise him.**

**"No," said Ron. "But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa."**

**"What?"**

**"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know - Chocolate Frogs have cards, inside them, you know, to collect - famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy." Harry unwrapped his Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half- moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache. Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.**

**"So this is Dumbledore!" said Harry.**

**"Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!" said Ron. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa – thanks." Harry turned over his card and read:**

**ALBUS DUMBLEDORE**

**CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS**

**Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling. **

The trio groaned, unbelievably shocked that the clue to Flamel was right under their noses the whole time.

**Harry turned the card back over and saw, to his astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared.**

**"He's gone!"**

**"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron. "He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her... do you want it? You can start collecting."**

**Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped.**

**"Help yourself," said Harry. "But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos."**

**"Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed. "weird!" Harry stared as Dumbledore sidled back into the picture on his card and gave him a small smile. Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, but Harry couldn't keep his eyes off them. Soon he had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, and Merlin.**

**He finally tore his eyes away from the druidess Cliodna, who was scratching her nose, to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.**

**"You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Harry. "When they say every flavor, they mean every flavor - you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and mar- malade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a booger flavored one once." Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner.**

**"Bleaaargh - see? Sprouts."**

**They had a good time eating the Every Flavor Beans. Harry got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end off a funny gray one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper. The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills. There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy Harry had passed on platform nine and three quarters came in. He looked tearful.**

**"Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?" When they shook their heads, he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"**

**"He'll turn up," said Harry.**

"Thanks for that, Harry." Neville smiled.

**"Yes," said the boy miserably. "Well, if you see him..." He left.**

**"Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk." The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap.**

**"He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look..." He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the**

**end. "Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. **

He really needs a new wand, James thought, grimacing.

**Anyway He had just raised his 'wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.**

**"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth. **

Harry saw Hermione suck in a breath, and he quickly put his arm around her, before whispering to her. Nearly five minutes later, she was calm enough and Harry kept his arm where it was, while Ron grinned at the two of them, making them blush.

**"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.**

**"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then." She sat down. Ron looked taken aback. "Er - all right." He cleared his throat.**

**"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow." He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.**

Everyone laughed, the twins especially, who couldn't help but ask Ron if he actually believed in everything they told him.

Ron, who had seen the passage that was coming up next, gave the book to Hermione, who suddenly laughed before reading her own part herself.

**"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard - I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough - I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you. She said all this very fast. Harry looked at Ron, and was relieved to see by his stunned face that he hadn't learned all the course books by heart either.**

She handed the book back to Ron –

**"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.**

- who handed it to Harry –

**"Harry Potter," said Harry.**

- who handed it back to Hermione.

**"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course – I got a few extra books. for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."**

And then Harry once more.

**"Am I?" said Harry, feeling dazed.**

Then back to Hermione, making many people laugh.

**"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad... Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's**

**toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon." And she left, taking the toadless boy with her.**

Then Ron, who flinched as he read the next line.

**"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron. **

Hermione slapped him here, rolling her eyes at him.

**He threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell - George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud."**

**"What house are your brothers in?" asked Harry.**

**"Gryffindor," said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mom and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin."**

**"That's the house Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?"**

**"Yeah," said Ron. He flopped back into his seat, looking depressed.**

**"You know, I think the ends of Scabbers' whiskers are a bit lighter," said Harry, trying to take Ron's mind off houses. "So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway?" Harry was wondering what a wizard did once he'd finished school.**

**"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," said Ron. "Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles - someone tried to rob a high security**

**vault."**

**Harry stared. "Really? What happened to them?"**

**"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it." Harry turned this news over in his mind. He was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You- Know-Who was mentioned. He supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying "Voldemort" without worrying. **

Many people nodded here, knowing how true that statement was.

**"What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked.**

**"Er - I don't know any," Harry confessed.**

**"What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world -" And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money. He was just taking Harry through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time.**

**Three boys entered, and Harry recognized the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop. He was looking at Harry with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.**

**"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"**

**"Yes," said Harry. He was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.**

**"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.**

**"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."**

All the Weasley's growled at this statement, glaring at Malfoy.

**He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it. **

**"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said coolly. Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.**

**"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either."**

Everyone looked at Malfoy in shock, anger at him coming forth as many people shouted at that statement. Even Severus was angry. Didn't Lucius know to tell his son better?

"**You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you." Both Harry and Ron stood up.**

**"Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair.**

**"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.**

**"Unless you get out now," said Harry, more bravely than he felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron.**

**"But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some." Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron - Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell. Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle - Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once. Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had come in. **

**"What has been going on?" she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail. "I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Harry. He looked closer at Scabbers. "No - I don't believe it - he's gone back to sleep-" And so he had.**

"That was always like Pettigrew," Remus muttered.

**"You've met Malfoy before?" Harry explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley.**

**"I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it."**

"A lot of us don't," Amelia Bones stated, glaring at Lucius, who straightened his back.

"**He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." He turned to Hermione. "Can we help you with something?"**

**"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!" **

**"Scabbers has been fighting, not us," said Ron, scowling at her. "Would you mind leaving while we change?"**

**"All right - I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors," said Hermione in a sniffy voice. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?" Ron glared at her as she left. Harry peered out of the window. It was getting dark. He could see mountains and forests under a deep purple**

**sky. The train did seem to be slowing down. He and Ron took off their jackets and pulled on their long black robes. Ron's were a bit short for him, you could see his sneakers underneath them. A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five**

**minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately." Harry's stomach lurched with nerves and Ron, he saw, looked pale under**

**his freckles. They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor. The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Harry shivered in**

**the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?"**

**Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.**

**"C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"**

**Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice.**

**"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."**

**There was a loud "Oooooh!"**

**The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black take. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.**

Everyone sighed, remembering their first sight of the castle, smiling lightly at the memory.

**"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry and Ron were followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione. **

**"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then - FORWARD!"**

**And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.**

**"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they**

**clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.**

**"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.**

**"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door.**

**"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.**

"Who wants to read next?" Ron asked, and after looking around for a couple of minutes, James said he would and Harry felt excitement at hearing his father speak for a long time, and started bouncing his leg up and down.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **Wow, y'all, I really want to thank _everyone_ who has reviewed, favorited or followed this story. It means so much to me, that y'all are willing to stick with me through this story. Like, seriously, so freaking much! I'm pretty sure I've private messaged everyone my thanks to those who have reviewed, but if not, I'm terribly sorry. I answer reviews on my phone, and sometimes, it hates me (^^ - hence, the spelling errors you'll receive during those!)

Anyways, I'm going to be posting the next _**SIX **(yes, you read that correctly, SIX) _chapters right now, because I work a lot within the weekend, so I won't be able to do a lot of posting (let alone writing), so you've got this to tie yourself over. ;)

You'll be getting a lot of sub-plot introduced in the coming chapters, so maybe, if you pay attention, you'll see where I'm actually going with this series. I hope you enjoy everything.

**LASTLY, **for any of y'all who've got a tumblr, y'all can follow my progress by tracking the tumblr tag, "stelladelnordxd". I'll be posting updates on how it's going throughout. Enjoy! :)

_Disclaimer_: Do not own. Do not own. Ladadadada. Also, don't delete, alright?

* * *

"**CHAPTER SEVEN THE SORTING HAT" **James began, excitement going through him as he realized that this was the moment everyone waited for. Harry, however, tensed immediately, remembering what it was the sorting hat had said. Sirius, knowing that Harry had tensed and having a feeling that Harry might need some comfort, sat up and put his head on Harry's arm.

**The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harry's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.**

"Too right, Potter," McGonagall interrupted, causing laughter to ring out through the room.

**"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.**

**"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursleys' house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.**

**They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right -the rest of the school must already be here - but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.**

**"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts."**

"So true," Harry mumbled, smiling lightly at the Weasley's, Neville and Hermione.

"**You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room."**

**"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points."**

McGonagall looked directly at Harry when this was said, and though it didn't go unnoticed by James and Lily, Harry only chuckled.

"**At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."**

**"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.**

More laughter rang out as Harry did the exact same thing at that moment.

**"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly." She left the chamber. Harry swallowed.**

**"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" he asked Ron.**

**"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking." Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? But he didn't know any magic yet - what on earth would he have to do?**

"Potter, we wouldn't test you on your magic!" McGonagall groaned, and Harry could only smile sheepishly.

**He hadn't expected something like this the moment they arrived. He looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need. Harry tried hard not to listen to her. He'd never been more nervous, never, not even when he'd had to take a school report home to the Dursleys saying that he'd somehow turned his teacher's wig blue.**

Everyone paused to laugh at this and Fred, who was wiping tears away from his eyes, looked at Harry.

"Why not try that to Snape?"

"Who says I wasn't planning on it?" Harry smirked, laughing. He could feel the gaze of his godfather on him, and stopped laughing, knowing that while he use to be a prankster himself, he didn't want Harry to prank Snape, in case Snape took out his anger on him like he use to with James.

**He kept his eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead him to his doom.**

"How pessimistic of you, Potter." Snape drawled, unimpressed.

**Then something happened that made him jump about a foot in the air - several people behind him screamed.**

"Must be the ghosts talking about Peeves. Still do that, do they?" Lily laughed.

**"What the -?" He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just**

**streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance -"**

**"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost – I say, what are you all doing here?"**

**A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years. Nobody answered.**

**"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?" A few people nodded mutely.**

**"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."**

**"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.**

**"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me." Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.**

**Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the**

**ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, "Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History." **

"It was so gorgeous," Harry hears Hermione whisper, and looks over at her and can't help but agree.

**It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens. Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house.**

**Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it, Harry thought wildly, that seemed the sort of thing - noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it, too. **

"What did he mean by a rabbit out of it?" A couple of people ask.

"Muggle Magicians," Hermione answered simply.

**For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing:**

**"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,**

**But don't judge on what you see,**

**I'll eat myself if you can find**

**A smarter hat than me.**

**You can keep your bowlers black,**

**Your top hats sleek and tall,**

**For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat**

**And I can cap them all.**

**There's nothing hidden in your head**

**The Sorting Hat can't see,**

**So try me on and I will tell you**

**Where you ought to be.**

**You might belong in Gryffindor,**

**Where dwell the brave at heart,**

**Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;**

**You might belong in Hufflepuff,**

**Where they are just and loyal,**

**Those patient Hufflepuffis are true And unafraid of toil;**

**Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,**

**if you've a ready mind,**

**Where those of wit and learning,**

**Will always find their kind;**

**Or perhaps in Slytherin**

**You'll make your real friends,**

**Those cunning folk use any means**

**To achieve their ends.**

**So put me on! Don't be afraid!**

**And don't get in a flap!**

**You're in safe hands (though I have none)**

**For I'm a Thinking Cap!"**

**The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again. **

**"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."**

Harry, Ron and Hermione all let out a burst of laughter, causing everyone to look at them weirdly. They shake their head, and somehow, Ron manages to mumble out to Fred if maybe he has some seer blood in him, which just causes more confusion.

**Harry smiled weakly. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but he did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching. The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; Harry didn't feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment. If only the hat had mentioned a house for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for him. Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.**

**"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!" A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the**

**hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause –**

**"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat. The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.**

**"Bones, Susan!"**

**"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.**

**"Boot, Terry!" **

**"RAVENCLAW!" The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.**

**" Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling. **

**"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. Perhaps it was Harry's imagination, after all he'd heard about Slytherin, but he thought they looked like an unpleasant lot. He was starting to feel definitely sick now. He remembered being picked for teams during gym at his old school. He had always been last to be chosen, not because he was no good, but**

**because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked him.**

Many glared at the book at the reminder of Dudley and the Dursley's.

**"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"**

**"HUFFLEPUFF!" Sometimes, Harry noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at**

**others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.**

**"Granger, Hermione!" Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.**

**"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Ron groaned. **

Hermione slapped Ron's arm once more, and at that, Lily could hear his sister Ginny mumble that they were meant for each other, causing Lily to scrunch up her face.

**A horrible thought struck Harry, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous. What if he wasn't chosen at all? What if he just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off his head and said there had obviously been a mistake and he'd better get back on the train?**

Harry could hear McGonagall snort and he looked down embarrassedly.

**When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."**

"I wonder how Frank and Alice are doing," Lily whispered. Across the hall, Sirius could feel Harry tense and wondered what was going on in his pups mind.

**Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!" Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself. There weren't many people left now. "Moon" "Nott" "Parkinson" then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil" then "Perks, Sally-Anne" and then, at last - "Potter, Harry!" As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.**

**"Potter, did she say?"**

"_**The**_** Harry Potter?"**

**The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited.**

Harry tensed some more, worried about how his family would feel about him almost going into Slytherin.

"**Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, A my goodness, yes - and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?" Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, Not Slytherin, not Slytherin.**

**"Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that - no? Well, if you're sure - better be GRYFFINDOR!"**

To Harry, it felt like everything was completely silent as that sentence finished. Throughout the speech, he had made his way back to snuggling into Snuffle's fur and clenching tightly, but he knew instantly that there was nothing to worry about when he could feel Snuffles thumping and wagging his tail.

Lily, who looked directly at Sirius in his dog form, could tell that Padfoot only wanted to transform and comfort his godson the proper way but was unable to for some strange reason. James, who was shocked at the fact that his son thought they could hate him for almost being in Slytherin (the way everyone could see him tense up alone proved it), continued reading, not wanting to make his son worry any more than he had to.

**Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. He took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table. He was so relieved to have been chosen and not put in Slytherin, he hardly noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer yet. Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"**

Suddenly, Harry hears a repeat of the 'we got potter!" and looks up at the twins and grins in thanks.

**Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff he'd seen earlier. The ghost patted his arm, giving Harry the sudden, horrible feeling he'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice-cold water.**

"Hate it when they do that." James muttered, with everyone nodding their heads in agreement.

**He could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest him sat Hagrid, who caught his eye and gave him the thumbs up. Harry grinned back. And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Harry recognized him at once from the card he'd gotten out of the Chocolate Frog on the train. Dumbledore's silver hair**

**was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts. Harry spotted Professor Quirrell, too, the nervous young man from the Leaky Cauldron. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban. And now there were only three people left to be sorted. "Thomas, Dean," a Black boy even taller than Ron, joined Harry at the Gryffindor table. "Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now. Harry crossed his fingers under the table and a second later the hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Harry clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next**

**to him.**

**"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley Pompously across Harry as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away. Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago. Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.**

**"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! "Thank you!" He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry didn't know**

**whether to laugh or not.**

**"Is he - a bit mad?" he asked Percy uncertainly.**

"Most definitely is," Harry muttered, still angry over the fact that the headmaster wouldn't look at him.

**"Mad?" said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?" Harry's mouth fell open. **

"Professor, do you think while we're reading about the food, we can be eating food? I mean, it is nearly lunch time." A first year Gryffindor asked, and with a small smile, food suddenly appeared on all of the tables, and everyone dug in.

"There's food for everyone, even the ghosts!" Dumbledore stated, and many people cheered.

**The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs. The Dursleys had never exactly starved Harry, but he'd never been allowed to eat as much as he liked. Dudley had always taken anything that Harry really wanted, even if It made him sick. Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat. It was all delicious.**

**"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak,**

**"Can't you -?"**

**I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."**

**"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you - you're Nearly Headless Nick!"**

**"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy -" the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted.**

**"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?" Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted.**

"Oh trust me, guys, it is." Remus laughed, knowing the tricks of Nearly Headless quite well.

**"Like this," he said irritably.**

At the same moment, the real life Nearly Headless showed them how he's nearly headless, and everyone either laughed or grimaced,

**He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said,**

**"So - new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable - he's the Slytherin ghost."**

James, Remus, Lily and Minerva both grimaced at this, with the latter three not liking that at all, and Minerva remembering all the times Severus teased her about it.

**Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who, Harry was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements.**

**"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.**

**"I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately. When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding - As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families.**

**"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him." The others laughed.**

**"What about you, Neville?" said Ron.**

**"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all- Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me – he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned – but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. **

James and Lily flinched at that, shocked and angry that Frank's mom would let that happen, and confused as to where Frank and Alice were, and why they weren't helping. However, they could easily remember that Neville could have been the boy from the prophecy, and flinched one more time, and stopped thinking about it.

**But I bounced - all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here - they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad." On Harry's other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons ("I do hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult-"; **

**"You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing - "). Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy**

**black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin. **

James tried his hardest not to laugh at Snape's description, but didn't succeed when Lily hit him and tried to stop her own laughter.

**It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban straight into Harry's eyes - and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead.**

James stopped reading, Lily stopped laughing, Sirus started growling and put his body in a fighting stance and Remus glared and all turned towards Snape, who looked awkward. Harry, who looked at his family, couldn't help but giggle a little and pretty soon, his friends are laughing too.

"If you've done anything to my son, Snivellius," James begins only to be interrupted by Lily

"I will hunt you down and hurt you bad, Snape." She growls and both James and Snape look shocked at that, for different reasons. Snape, because he never thought his old best friend could look at him with so much anger and James because he knew it hurt Lily a lot to say that, and he was proud.

**"Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head.**

Lily arched an eyebrow, wondering why Snape looking at her son would cause his scar linked to Volde- and then started glaring at Snape once more.

**"What is it?" asked Percy.**

**"N-nothing." The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Harry had gotten from the teacher's look - a feeling that he didn't like Harry at all.**

"I swear to god, Severus, if you hate my son because of a school grudge and because you can't stand the fact that Lily loves me and not you," James growled.

**"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he asked Percy.**

**"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to - everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape." Harry watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn't look at him again. At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.**

**"Ahern - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.**

**"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.**

The twins grinned, and the trio snorted, knowing that they receive the same looks now too.

**"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.**

**"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. **

**"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." Harry laughed, but he was one of the few who did. **

James stopped reading as his head jerked back in shock and confusion. Albus never said stuff like that when they were in school and now that he's saying it now is shocking.

**"He's not serious?" he muttered to Percy. **

Harry giggled once he felt Snuffles snort, and had to bite his lip in order to stop himself from bursting of laughter.

**"Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere – the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least."**

**"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Harry noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed. **

Many of the teachers grumbled at this, complaining about Potter's observational skills, making everyone laugh.

**Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words. "Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!" And the school bellowed:**

**"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,**

**Teach us something please,**

**Whether we be old and bald**

**Or young with scabby knees,**

**Our heads could do with filling**

**With some interesting stuff,**

**For now they're bare and full of air,**

**Dead flies and bits of fluff,**

**So teach us things worth knowing,**

**Bring back what we've forgot,**

**just do your best, we'll do the rest,**

**And learn until our brains all rot.**

**Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.**

James laughed at that, knowing that the twins reminded him of Sirius and himself so much.

**"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!" The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds,**

**out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Harry's legs were like lead again, but only because he was so tired and full of food. He was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice. Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging**

**tapestries. They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Harry was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt. A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.**

**"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves - show yourself" A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.**

**"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?" **

James shook his head, knowing that that wasn't the way to deal with the poltergeist.

**There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross- legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.**

**"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!" He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.**

**"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy. Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed.**

**"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again.**

**"The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are." At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a**

**pink silk dress.**

**"Password?" she said. "Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it - Neville needed a leg up - and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs. Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase - they were obviously in one of the towers - they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed.**

**" Great food, isn't it?" Ron muttered to Harry through the hangings.**

**"Get off, Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets." Harry was going to ask Ron if he'd had any of the treacle tart, but he fell asleep almost at once. Perhaps Harry had eaten a bit too much, because he had a very strange dream. He was wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which kept talking to him, telling him he must transfer to Slytherin at once, because it was**

**his destiny. Harry told the turban he didn't want to be in Slytherin; it got heavier and heavier; he tried to pull it off but it tightened painfully - and there was Malfoy, laughing at him as he struggled with it -then Malfoy turned into the hook-nosed teacher, Snape, whose laugh became high and cold - there was a burst of green light and Harry woke, sweating and shaking.**

Harry scrunched up his face at that, wondering if maybe, just maybe, his subconscious knew of things to come.

**He rolled over and fell asleep again, and when he woke next day, he didn't remember the dream at all.**

"Who wants to read, next?" James asked after taking a sip from his goblet. After things were silent for a couple of minutes, Snape took the book and sighed, before his eyes widened and he let out a stream of curses.


	9. Chapter 9

"**CHAPTER EIGHT, THE POTIONS MASTER" **Snape began and he could instantly feel all of the Potters glaring at him. Quietly, Harry looked over at Remus and whispered something quickly to him.

"How could my dad read when te letter said-?" Remus looked confused before he looked over towards Hermione, who nodded and wrote down the question on her sheet, her face scrunched up in confusion.

"**There, look."**

**"Where?"**

**"Next to the tall kid with the red hair."**

Ron snorted here, rolling his eyes briefly.

**"Wearing the glasses?"**

**"Did you see his face?"**

**"Did you see his scar?"**

**Whispers followed Harry from the moment he left his dormitory the next day. People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at him, or doubled back to pass him in the corridors again, staring. Harry wished they wouldn't, because he was trying to concentrate on finding his way to classes. **

"I still wish they wouldn't," he interrupted, glaring lightly.

**There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts:**

"You actually counted? Not many people do, kiddo." Remus stated, his eyes wide while Mad-Eye began mumbling some more.

- ** wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different**

**on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed**

**to move around a lot. The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and Harry was sure the coats of armor could walk.**

"They can. It's a defense strategy." Hermione mumbled, blushing lightly.** The ghosts didn't help, either. It was always a nasty shock when one of them glided suddenly through a door you were trying to open. Nearly Headless Nick was always happy to point new Gryffindors in the right direction, but Peeves the Poltergeist was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you met him when you were late for class. He would drop wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose, and screech, "GOT YOUR CONK!"**

James burst out laughing at that, and with one look at him, Lily knew her husband taught the poltergeist that saying.

**Even worse than Peeves, if that was possible, was the caretaker, Argus Filch. Harry and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of him on their very first morning. **

"Now, that is a record," Fred stated, his eyes wide. Maybe George and him underestimated Harry's pranking and trouble making ability?

**Filch found them trying to force their way through a door that unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor. He wouldn't believe they were lost, was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose, and was threatening to lock them in the dungeons when they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing.**

**Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris, a scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamp like eyes just like Filch's. She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she'd whisk off for Filch, who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds**

**later. Filch knew the secret passageways of the school better than anyone (except perhaps the Weasley twins)**

And, now that Harry thought about it, definitely not better than anyone. There was him and his friends, the twins and Lee, then his father and the group of the Marauders. So yeah, no, Filch did not know the school better than anyone.

- ** and could pop up as suddenly as any of the ghosts. The students all hated him, and it was the dearest ambition of many to give Mrs. Norris a good kick.**

**And then, once you had managed to find them, there were the classes themselves. There was a lot more to magic, as Harry quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words. They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets. Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout, where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for.**

**Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost. Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, and got Emetic the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up.**

**Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. At the start of their first class he took the roll call, and when he reached Harry's name he gave an excited squeak and toppled out of sight.**

Flitwick had done the same thing when he was mentioned in the book, much to the laughter of everyone else.

**Professor McGonagall was again different. Harry had been quite right to think she wasn't a teacher to cross. Strict and clever, she gave them a talking-to the moment they sat down in her first class.**

**"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time.**

**After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione Granger had made any difference to her match; Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione a rare smile. **

"Harry! Her smiles aren't rare." Hermione groaned while Harry thought about how knows the smiles McGonagall gives out aren't rare, of course, but still, he was young!

"And plus, you were the first one to change the match the next day!" Hermione groaned, while Harry blushed.

**The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke. His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days. His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but they weren't sure they believed this story. For one thing, when Seamus Finnigan asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather; for another, they had noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban, and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well, so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went. **

Harry shivered at knowing what was truly behind that turban, as did Ron and Hermione, while knowing that very soon, the school would soon find out for themselves.

**Harry was very relieved to find out that he wasn't miles behind everyone else. Lots of people had come from Muggle families and, like him, hadn't had any idea that they were witches and wizards. There was so much to learn that even people like Ron didn't have much of a head start.**

"OY!" Ron shouted, making Harry laugh and grin sheepishly.

**Friday was an important day for Harry and Ron. They finally managed to find their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast without getting lost once.**

Fred and George clapped, and Harry stuck out his tongue at them.

**"What have we got today?" Harry asked Ron as he poured sugar on his porridge.**

**"Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them - we'll be able to see if it's true."**

"It's true," All the houses – except Slytherin – grumbled.

**"Wish McGonagall favored us, " said Harry. **

McGonagall gave him a stern look at this and he only smirked, knowing how well she _did _favour them.

**Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, but it hadn't stopped her from giving them a huge pile of homework the day before. Just then, the mail arrived. Harry had gotten used to this by now, but it had given him a bit of a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast, circling the tables until they saw their owners, and dropping letters and packages onto their laps. Hedwig hadn't brought Harry anything so far. She sometimes flew in to nibble his ear and have a bit of toast before going off to sleep in the owlery with the other school owls. This morning, however, she fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped a note onto Harry's plate. Harry tore it open at once. It said, in a very untidy scrawl:**

**Dear Harry,**

**I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three? I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with**

**Hedwig.**

**Hagrid**

**Harry borrowed Ron's quill, scribbled Yes, please, see you later on the back of the note, and sent Hedwig off again. It was lucky that Harry had tea with Hagrid to look forward to, because the Potions lesson turned out to be the worst thing that had happened to him so far. At the start-of-term banquet, Harry had gotten the idea that Professor Snape disliked him. By the end of the first Potions lesson, he knew he'd been wrong. **

"Wait, what?" Everyone said confused, knowing that Snape's hate for Potter was so well known that even those who didn't know about _them _knew about them.

**Snape didn't dislike Harry - he hated him.**

"Makes more sense there, Harry!" Fred shouted while aiming a fist at Snape.

**Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls. Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Harry's name.**

**"Ah, Yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new - celebrity." Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands. Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black like Hagrid's, but they had none of Hagrid's warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels.**

**"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potionmaking," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word - like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. **

**"As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with**

**its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death –"**

"That's a good speech, Severus," Flitwick stated.

"**if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."**

"I spoke too soon, obviously." He finished.

**More silence followed this little speech. Harry and Ron exchanged looks with raised eyebrows. Hermione Granger was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead.**

"Harry, stop being so damn observant!" Hermione groaned while her cheeks turned red.

**"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"**

"But that's not taught until sixth year!" Many people shouted, outraged that Snape would expect a first year to know that, Lily included.

**Powdered root of what to an infusion of what? Harry glanced at Ron, who looked as stumped as he was; Hermione's hand had shot into the air. **

**"I don't know, sir," said Harry. Snape's lips curled into a sneer.**

**"Tut, tut - fame clearly isn't everything." He ignored Hermione's hand.**

**"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" **

"You don't learn that until the end of first year though!" Even more people shouted, while Lily began glaring at her old friend.

**Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, but Harry didn't have the faintest idea what a bezoar was. He tried not to look at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were shaking with laughter.**

**"I don't know, sir." **

**"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?" Harry forced himself to keep looking straight into those cold eyes. He had looked through his books at the Dursleys', but did Snape expect him to remember everything in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi? Snape was still ignoring Hermione's quivering hand.**

Most of the professors were glaring at Snape now, who was extremely uncomfortable with the dratted book in his hands.

**"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?" **

"We all know this isn't learned until third year, to coincide with the werewolf unit in DADA." James snarled, even more annoyed at Snape, and how it seemed he couldn't grow up, with Lily nodding her head in agreement.

**At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling.**

**"I don't know," said Harry quietly. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?" **

Many people laughed, James and Lily included, while Remus whispered to Harry that both his parents would've said that to a professor.

**A few people laughed; Harry caught Seamus's eye, and Seamus winked. Snape, however, was not pleased.**

**"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"**

"You didn't ask them, Severus." Minerva snapped, making Snape flinch.

**There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter." Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like. He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.**

**"Idiot boy!" **

"Severus!" McGonagall hissed, angry that Snape could call a student such things.

- **snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?" Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.**

**"Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus. Then he rounded on Harry and Ron, who had been working next to Neville.**

**"You - Potter - why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor." **

"He was a little busy with his _own _potion, asshole." Lily growled, making James smile lightly and Snape falter in his reading due to shock.

**This was so unfair that Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Ron kicked him behind their cauldron.**

**"Don't push it," he muttered, "I've heard Snape can turn very nasty." As they climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, Harry's mind was racing and his spirits were low. He'd lost two points for Gryffindor in his very first week - why did Snape hate him so much? **

"Because his father was an asshole to him, he can't get over a school grudge, and he thinks I stole his one true love." James growled, louder than he meant to, with everyone staring at him in shock.

**"Cheer up," said Ron, "Snape's always taking points off Fred and George. Can I come**

**and meet Hagrid with you?" At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door. When Harry knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, **

**"Back, Fang - back." Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door**

**open.**

**"Hang on," he said. "Back, Fang." He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound. There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.**

**"Make yerselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Ron and started licking his ears. Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked.**

"It's the ones with the cute names you gotta watch out for." James said the same time as his son, laughter ringing out in the hall.

**"This is Ron," Harry told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate. **

**"Another Weasley, eh?" said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles. I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest." The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth, but Harry and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first -lessons. Fang rested his head on Harry's knee and drooled all over his robes. Harry and Ron were delighted to hear Hagrid call Fitch "that old git."**

**"An' as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her - Fitch puts her up to it." Harry told Hagrid about Snape's lesson. Hagrid, like Ron, told Harry not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students.**

**"But he seemed to really hate me."**

**"Rubbish!" said Hagrid. "Why should he?" Yet Harry couldn't help thinking that Hagrid didn't quite meet his eyes when he said that.**

**"How's yer brother Charlie?" Hagrid asked Ron. "I liked him a lot - great with animals."**

**Harry wondered if Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose. While Ron told Hagrid all about Charlie's work with dragons, Harry picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cozy. It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet:**

**GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST**

**Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.**

**"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.**

**Harry remembered Ron telling him on the train that someone had tried to rob Gringotts, but Ron hadn't mentioned the date.**

**"Hagrid!" said Harry, "that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!" There was no doubt about it, Hagrid definitely didn't meet Harry's eyes this time. He grunted and offered him another rock cake. Harry read the story again. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied earlier that same day. Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package. Had that been what the thieves were looking for? As Harry and Ron walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes they'd been too polite to refuse, Harry thought that none of the lessons he'd had so far had given him as much to think about as tea with Hagrid. Had Hagrid collected that package just in time? Where was it now? And did Hagrid know something about Snape that he didn't want to tell Harry?**

"Who wants to read next?" Snape asked, curling his mouth in distaste over the book. After a couple of seconds went by, Cho Change spoke, and the book went to her.


	10. Chapter 10

"**CHAPTER NINE: THE MIDNIGHT DUEL" **Cho started, pausing slightly.

**Harry had never believed he would meet a boy he hated more than Dudley, but that was before he met Draco Malfoy. Still, first-year Gryffindors only had Potions with the Slytherins, so they didn't have to put up with Malfoy much. Or at least, they didn't until they spotted a notice pinned up in the Gryffindor common room that made them all groan.**

**Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday - and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together.**

Ron and Harry grinned at one another, remembering what this chapter was going to have included in it.

**"Typical," said Harry darkly. "Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy." He had been looking forward to learning to fly more than anything else.**

"Atta boy, Harry." James grinned.

**"You don't know that you'll make a fool of yourself," said Ron reasonably. "Anyway, I know Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk." **

**Malfay certainly did talk about flying a lot. He complained loudly about first years never getting on the house Quidditch teams and told long, boastful stories that always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters.**

"Did he even know what helicopters were?" Hermione mumbled.

**He wasn't the only one, though: the way Seamus Finnigan told it, he'd spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on his broomstick. Even Ron would tell anyone who'd listen about the time he'd almost hit a hang glider on Charlie's old broom. Everyone from wizarding families talked about Quidditch constantly.**

James and Sirius looked down guiltily at this sentence, wishing against all hope that things had been different for Harry.

**Ron had already had a big argument with Dean Thomas, who shared their dormitory, about soccer. Ron couldn't see what was exciting about a game with only one ball where no one was allowed to fly. Harry had caught Ron prodding Dean's poster of West Ham soccer team, trying to make the players move. Neville had never been on a broomstick in his life, because his grandmother had never let him near one. Privately, Harry felt she'd had good reason, because Neville managed to have an extraordinary number of accidents even with both feet on the ground.**

Neville laughed at this, with many people snorting in agreement.

**Hermione Granger was almost as nervous about flying as Neville was. This was something you couldn't learn by heart out of a book - not that she hadn't tried. At breakfast on Thursday she bored them all stupid with flying tips she'd gotten out of a library book called Quidditch Through the Ages. Neville was hanging on to her every word, desperate for anything that might help him hang on to his broomstick later, but everybody else was very pleased when Hermione's lecture was interrupted by the arrival of the mail. Harry hadn't had a single letter since Hagrid's note, something that Malfoy had been quick to notice, of course. Malfoy's eagle owl was always bringing him packages of sweets from home, which he opened gloatingly at the Slytherin table. A barn owl brought Neville a small package from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly and showed them a glass ball the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke.**

**"It's a Remembrall!" he explained. **

"Those aren't worth it though, because they don't tell you what you're forgetting. Just that you've forgotten something." Lily groaned.

**"Gran knows I forget things – this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red - oh..." His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet, "You've forgotten something..." Neville was trying to remember what he'd forgotten when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand. Harry and Ron jumped to their feet. They were half hoping for a reason to fight Malfay, but Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school, was there in a flash.**

"You can say that again," James mumbled, knowing just how true that statement was.

**"What's going on?"**

**"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor." Scowling, Malfoy quickly dropped the Remembrall back on the table.**

**"Just looking," he said, and he sloped away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him. At three-thirty that afternoon, Harry, Ron, and the other Gryffindors hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance. **

"Oh, the perfect conditions," All of the quidditch fans groaned, wishing they could play at that time.

**The Slytherins were already there and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Harry had heard Fred and George Weasley complain about the school brooms, saying that some of them started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left. Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.**

Everyone looked at Madam Hooch, wondering how she got yellow eyes.

**"Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up." Harry glanced down at his broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck**

**out at odd angles.**

"We really need new broomsticks," Hooch mumbled, realizing how old the brooms truly were.

**"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!"'**

**"UP" everyone shouted. Harry's broom jumped into his hand at once,**

James cheered, knowing from this sentence alone that his son is truly a natural at flying.

-** but it was one of the few that did. Hermione Granger's had simply rolled over on the ground, and Neville's hadn't moved at all. Perhaps brooms, like horses, could tell when you were afraid, thought Harry;**

Hermione could be seen scribbling reverently in her notepad at this statement.

-** there was a quaver in Neville's voice that said only too clearly that he wanted to keep his feet on the ground. Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. Harry and Ron were delighted when she told Malfoy he'd been doing it wrong for years.**

Malfoy blushed, while looking down, an anger running through him.

**"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. **

**"Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle – three - two -" But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips.**

Neville cringed, remembering the pain he was in that day.

**"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle - twelve feet - twenty feet. Harry saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away, saw him gasp, slip sideways off the broom and - WHAM - a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay facedown on the grass in a heap. **

Everyone flinched at the visual, some people cringing at recognizing a pain that would be endured from the fall.

**His broomstick was still rising higher and higher, and started to drift lazily toward the forbidden forest and out of sight. Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his. **

**"Broken wrist," Harry heard her mutter. "Come on, boy - it's all right, up you get.". She turned to the rest of the class.**

**"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear." Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him. No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter.**

**"Did you see his face, the great lump?" The other Slytherins joined in.**

**"Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil**

**.**

**"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a hard-faced Slytherin girl. **

**"Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati."**

**"Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him." The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up.**

**"Give that here, Malfoy," said Harry quietly. Everyone stopped talking to watch. Malfoy smiled nastily.**

**"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find - how about - up a tree?"**

**"Give it here!" Harry yelled, but Malfoy had leapt onto his broomstick and taken off. He hadn't been lying, he could fly well. Hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak he called, "Come and get it, Potter!" Harry grabbed his broom.**

James leaned forward in anticipation, wanting to see how well his son could fly.

**"No!" shouted Hermione Granger. "Madam Hooch told us not to move - you'll get us all into trouble." Harry ignored her. Blood was pounding in his ears. He mounted the broom**

**and kicked hard against the ground and up, up he soared; air rushed through his hair, and his robes whipped out behind him -and in a rush of fierce joy he realized he'd found something he could do without being taught - this was easy, this was wonderful. **

"Of course it's easy, son. You're probably a natural, just like myself." James whispered so only Lily could hear him, who smiled in response.

**He pulled his broomstick up a little to take it even higher, and heard screams and gasps of girls back on the ground and an admiring whoop from Ron. He turned his broomstick sharply to face Malfoy in midair. Malfoy looked stunned.**

"Well yeah, for someone who'd never even heard of Quidditch, he was unfortunately, brilliant at flying." Malfoy could be heard grumbling, while his dad just glared at him and his mom smiled lightly.

**"Give it here," Harry called, "or I'll knock you off that broom!" **

**"Oh, yeah?" said Malfoy, trying to sneer, but looking worried. Harry knew, somehow, what to do. **

"NATURAL ABILITIES!" James shouted, jumping up in his excitement, everyone laughing at him in return, while saying nothing about what was to come.

**He leaned forward and grasped the broom tightly in both hands, and it shot toward Malfoy like a javelin. Malfoy only just got out of the way in time; Harry made a sharp about-face and held the broom steady. A few people below were clapping. **

**"No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy," Harry called. The same thought seemed to have struck Malfoy.**

**"Catch it if you can, then!" he shouted, and he threw the glass ball high into the air and streaked back toward the ground. Harry saw, as though in slow motion, the ball rise up in the air and then start to fall. **

"You saw that in slow motion?" James questioned, knowing that the best quidditch players saw things in slow motion before getting their ball. McGonagall was also impressed, alongside Madam Hooch, who knew what seeing a ball in slow motion truly meant.

**He leaned forward and pointed his broom handle down - next second he was gathering speed in a steep dive, racing the ball - wind whistled in his ears, mingled with the screams of people watching - he stretched out his hand - a foot from the ground he caught it, just in time to pull his broom straight, and he toppled gently onto the grass with the Remembrall clutched safely in his fist.**

"A wronskei feint, AND a seeker skill? So much like myself," James whispered awed, while Lily laughed some more.

**"HARRY POTTER!"**

"Awh, c'mon Minnie, don't ruin this!" James cried.

**His heart sank faster than he'd just dived. Professor McGonagall was running toward them. He got to his feet, trembling. **

**"Never - in all my time at Hogwarts -"Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously, "- how dare you - might have broken your neck -"**

**"It wasn't his fault, Professor -"**

**"Be quiet, Miss Patil"**

**"But Malfoy -"**

**"That's enough, Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now." Harry caught sight of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle's triumphant faces as he left, walking numbly in Professor McGonagall's wake as she strode toward the castle. He was going to be expelled, he just knew it. He wanted to say something to defend himself, but there seemed to be something wrong with his voice. Professor McGonagall was sweeping along without even looking at him; he had to jog to keep up. Now he'd done it. He hadn't even lasted two weeks. He'd be packing his bags in ten minutes. What would the Dursleys say when he turned up on the doorstep? Up the front steps, up the marble staircase inside, and still Professor McGonagall didn't say a word to him. She wrenched open doors and marched along corridors with Harry trotting miserably behind her. Maybe she was taking him to Dumbledore. He thought of Hagrid, expelled but allowed to stay on as gamekeeper. Perhaps he could be Hagrid's assistant. His stomach twisted as he imagined it, watching Ron and the others becoming wizards, while he stumped around the grounds carrying Hagrid's bag. Professor McGonagall stopped outside a classroom. She opened the door**

**and poked her head inside.**

**"Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment?" Wood? thought Harry, bewildered; was Wood a cane she was going to use on him? **

"Potter!" McGonagall snapped shocked that the man would think that, who only grinned sheepishly in return.

**But Wood turned out to be a person, a burly fifth-year boy who came out of Flitwick's class looking confused.**

**"Follow me, you two," said Professor McGonagall, and they marched on up the corridor, Wood looking curiously at Harry.**

**"In here." Professor McGonagall pointed them into a classroom that was empty except**

**for Peeves, who was busy writing rude words on the blackboard. **

James chuckled, knowing exactly the words, for Sirius and himself taught Peeves them.

**"Out, Peeves!" she barked. Peeves threw the chalk into a bin, which clanged loudly, and he swooped out cursing. Professor McGonagall slammed the door behind him and turned to face the two boys.**

**"Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood - I've found you a Seeker." Wood's expression changed from puzzlement to delight.**

"ARE YOU SERIOUS, MINNIE?" James shouted, jumping up and down in excitement and happiness over his son – his son making seeker in his first year.

**"Are you serious, Professor?"**

**"Absolutely," said Professor McGonagall crisply. "The boy's a natural. I've never seen anything like it. Was that your first time on a broomstick, Potter?" Harry nodded silently. He didn't have a clue what was going on, but he didn't seem to be being expelled, and some of the feeling started coming back to his legs.**

**"He caught that thing in his hand after a fifty-foot dive," Professor McGonagall told Wood. "Didn't even scratch himself. Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it." Wood was now looking as though all his dreams had come true at once.**

Charlie looked shocked at that statement before grinning a little at Harry in mirth.

**"Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter?" he asked excitedly.**

**"Wood's captain of the Gryffindor team," Professor McGonagall explained.**

**"He's just the build for a Seeker, too," said Wood, now walking around Harry and staring at him. "Light - speedy - we'll have to get him a decent broom, Professor - a Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven, I'd say." **

"**I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks..." Professor McGonagall peered sternly over her glasses at Harry.**

"Ugh, Slytherin won?" Surprisingly enough, Lily said, shaking her head in shock and dismay over her house not doing well at their best sport.

**"I want to hear you're training hard, Potter, or I may change my mind about punishing you." Then she suddenly smiled.**

**"Your father would have been proud," she said. "He was an excellent Quidditch player himself."**

"Thanks Minnie, and you bet I'm proud, son!" James shouted, jumping up and down again. Harry laughed, petting the fur on Sirius' back as he did so.

**"You're joking." It was dinnertime. Harry had just finished telling Ron what had happened when he'd left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Ron had a piece of**

**steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he'd forgotten all about it.**

"Now that's—"

"A miracle—"

"For Ron to forget—"

"Food." Fred finished, laughing as his younger brother blushed.

**"Seeker?" he said. "But first years never - you must be the youngest house player in about-" **

"**A century," said Harry, shoveling pie into his mouth. He felt particularly hungry after the excitement of the afternoon. "Wood told me." Ron was so amazed, so impressed, he just sat and gaped at Harry.**

**"I start training next week," said Harry. "Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret."**

"Which means everyone will know." The twins stated, causing the trio to laugh at the secrets they'd kept from the students.

**Fred and George Weasley now came into the hall, spotted Harry, and hurried over. **

**"Well done," said George in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the team too - Beaters."**

**"I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year," said Fred. "We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Harry, Wood was almost skipping when he told us."**

**"Anyway, we've got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school."**

**"Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you." **

"Impressive, kids. Just like me and Paddy!" James stated, causing the twins to look on in confusion while Harry could only smirk.

**Fred and George had hardly disappeared when someone far less welcome turned up: Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. **

**"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?"**

**"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you," said Harry coolly. There was of course nothing at all little about Crabbe and Goyle, but as the High Table was full of teachers, neither of them could do more than crack their knuckles and scowl.**

**"I'd take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only - no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"**

Snape and Lucius groaned while shaking their heads, wondering what kind of trouble Draco could be getting himself into.

**"Of course he has," said Ron, wheeling around. "I'm his second, who's yours?" Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up.**

**"Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked." When Malfoy had gone, Ron and Harry looked at each other. "What is a**

**wizard's duel?" said Harry. "And what do you mean, you're my second?" **

**"Well, a second's there to take over if you die," **

"Real nice, Ronnie. Scare the kid!" Bill laughed, shaking his own head as his father snorted.

- **said Ron casually, getting started at last on his cold pie. Catching the look on Harry's face, he added quickly, "But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway."**

**"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?" **

**"Throw it away and punch him on the nose," Ron suggested. **

**"Excuse me." They both looked up. It was Hermione Granger.**

**"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron. Hermione ignored him and spoke to Harry.**

**"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying -"**

**"Bet you could," Ron muttered.**

**"-and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you."**

**"And it's really none of your business," said Harry.**

Hermione looked down at this, biting her lip. Harry having seen this, put his arm over Hermione's shoulders and quickly kissed the top of her head, blushing slightly when he saw his mother looking at him.

**"Good-bye," said Ron. All the same, it wasn't what you'd call the perfect end to the day,**

**Harry thought, as he lay awake much later listening to Dean and Seamus falling asleep (Neville wasn't back from the hospital wing). Ron had spent all evening giving him advice such as "If he tries to curse you, you'd better dodge it, because I can't remember how to block them." **

Mad-Eye snorted, while Harry nodded his head, realizing just how well that advice was in helping him against Voldemort.

**There was a very good chance they were going to get caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris, and Harry felt he was pushing his luck, breaking another school rule today. On the other hand, Malfoy's sneering face kept looming up out of the darkness - this was his big chance to beat Malfoy face-to-face. He couldn't miss it.**

**"Half-past eleven," Ron muttered at last, "we'd better go." They pulled on their bathrobes, picked up their wands, and crept across the tower room, down the spiral staircase, and into the Gryffindor common room. A few embers were still glowing in the fireplace, turning**

**all the armchairs into hunched black shadows. They had almost reached the portrait hole when a voice spoke from the chair nearest them, "I can't believe you're going to do this, Harry." A lamp flickered on. It was Hermione Granger, wearing a pink bathrobe and a frown.**

Hermione blushed at realizing she had walked about in her bathroom, while Harry laughed, remembering the image she was.

**"You!" said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!"**

**"I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped, "Percy - he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this." Harry couldn't believe anyone could be so interfering.**

"Sorry, 'Mione." Harry mumbled while smiling lightly at Hermione. From the sidelines, Ginny could only frown at how close they seemed to be, despite Harry being hers.

**"Come on," he said to Ron. He pushed open the portrait of the Fat Lady and climbed through the hole. Hermione wasn't going to give up that easily. She followed Ron through**

**the portrait hole, hissing at them like an angry goose.**

Hermione slapped Harry's arm at this when everyone laughed.

**"Don't you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves, I don't want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells."**

"That was truly impressive, Miss. Granger," McGonagall interrupted, and Hermione blushed.

**"Go away." **

**"All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so -" But what they were, they didn't find out. Hermione had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found herself facing an empty painting. The Fat Lady had gone on a nighttime visit and Hermione was locked out of Gryffindor tower.**

"She truly does that at the most inopportune times," Remus laughed, remembering all the times James, Sirius and him got in trouble because she had gone on a visit.

**"Now what am I going to do?" she asked shrilly.**

**"That's your problem," said Ron. "We've got to go, we're going to be late." They hadn't even reached the end of the corridor when Hermione caught up with them.**

**"I'm coming with you," she said.**

**"You are not."**

**"D'you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds all three of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up."**

"She has nerve. I like her. Reminds me of you, Lils." James said, grinning. Lily and Hermione both blushed, but for Hermione, it was the fact that Harry's father approved of her that made her smile. Ginny's frown from earlier came back, and at full force too.

**"You've got some nerve -" said Ron loudly.**

**"Shut up, both of you!" said Harry sharply. I heard something."**

**It was a sort of snuffling.**

**"Mrs. Norris?" breathed Ron, squinting through the dark. It wasn't Mrs. Norris. It was Neville. He was curled up on the floor, fast asleep, but jerked suddenly awake as they crept nearer.**

**"Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours, I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed."**

**"Keep your voice down, Neville. The password's 'Pig snout' but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere."**

**"How's your arm?" said Harry.**

**"Fine," said Neville, showing them. "Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute."**

"Well, of course I did!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed, affronted that they thought otherwise.

**"Good - well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later -"**

**"Don't leave me!" said Neville, scrambling to his feet, "I don't want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already." Ron looked at his watch and then glared furiously at Hermione and Neville.**

**"If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you." Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how to use the Curse of the Bogies, but Harry hissed at her to be quiet and beckoned them all forward. They flitted along corridors striped with bars of moonlight from the high windows. At every turn Harry expected to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris, but they were lucky. They sped up a staircase to the third floor and tiptoed toward the trophy room. Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet. The crystal trophy cases glimmered where the moonlight caught them. Cups, shields, plates, and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness. They edged along the walls, keeping their eyes on the doors at either end of the room. Harry took out his wand in case Malfoy leapt in and started at once. The minutes crept by.**

"Good thinking, Potter." Mad-Eye stated, whispering under his breath 'constant vigilance' afterwards.

**"He's late, maybe he's chickened out," Ron whispered. Then a noise in the next room made them jump. Harry had only just raised his wand when they heard someone speak -and it wasn't Malfoy.**

**"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner." It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris. Horror-struck, Harry waved madly at the other three to follow him as quickly as possible; they scurried silently toward the door, away from Filch's voice. Neville's robes had barely whipped round the corner when they heard Filch enter the trophy room.**

**"They're in here somewhere," they heard him mutter, "probably hiding."**

**"This way!" Harry mouthed to the others and, petrified, they began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armor. They could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak and broke into a run -he tripped, grabbed Ron around the waist, and the pair of them toppled right into a suit of armor.**

Neville groaned, "Oh, I am so sorry, you guys!" He stated, shaking his head.

"It's alright, mate." Harry replied, before asking Cho to keep reading.

**The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle. "RUN!" Harry yelled, and the four of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following - they swung around the doorpost and galloped down one corridor then another, Harry in the lead, without any idea where they were or where they were going - they ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway, hurtled along it and came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was miles from the trophy room.**

"Isn't it close to the corridor on third floor?" Lily asked silently while James scrunched up his face.

**"I think we've lost him," Harry panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping his forehead. Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering.**

"**I - told -you," Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest, "I - told - you."**

**"We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower," said Ron, "quickly as possible."**

**"Malfoy tricked you," Hermione said to Harry. "You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you - Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off." Harry thought she was probably right, but he wasn't going to tell her**

**that.**

**"Let's go."**

**It wasn't going to be that simple. They hadn't gone more than a dozen paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them.**

**It was Peeves. He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight. **

**"Shut up, Peeves - please - you'll get us thrown out." Peeves cackled.**

**"Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty."**

**"Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please."**

**"Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. "It's for your own good, you know."**

**"Get out of the way," snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves this was a big mistake.**

**"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE**

**CHARMS CORRIDOR" Ducking under Peeves, they ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door - and it was locked.**

**"This is it!" Ron moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door, "We're done for! This is the end!" **

"Huh, normally Harry's the one so pessimistic." Ginny said, laughing lightly, while keeping an eye on Harry and Hermione.

**They could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could toward Peeves's shouts.**

**"Oh, move over," Hermione snarled. She grabbed Harry's wand, tapped the lock, and whispered, 'Alohomora!" The lock clicked and the door swung open – **

James, Lily, McGonagall and Flitwick all looked shocked at this. They understood now why the duo was so confused when Harry had visited Ollivanders. They vowed to learn more about it, though Lily already had a feeling about why the girl could use her son's wand so well.

- **they piled through it, shut it quickly, and pressed their ears against it, listening.**

**"Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying. "Quick, tell me."**

**"Say 'please."'**

**"Don't mess with me, Peeves, now where did they go?"**

**"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," said Peeves in his annoying singsong voice.**

**"All right -please."**

**"NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! aaaaaa!" And they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage.**

**"He thinks this door is locked," Harry whispered. "I think we'll be okay - get off, Neville!" For Neville had been tugging on the sleeve of Harry's bathrobe for the last minute. **

Neville shivered, remembering what he had been so frightened about.

**"What?" Harry turned around - and saw, quite clearly, what. For a moment, he was sure he'd walked into a nightmare - this was too much, on top of everything that had happened so far. They weren't in a room, as he had supposed. They were in a corridor. The**

**forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now they knew why it was forbidden. They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog that filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging**

**in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs. It was standing quite still, all six eyes staring at them, and Harry knew that the only reason they weren't already dead was that their**

**sudden appearance had taken it by surprise, but it was quickly getting over that, there was no mistaking what those thunderous growls meant. **

James and Lily were shocked that there was such a dangerous creature in the school, and that their son was so close to danger so early on in his life. Sirius, who had been relaxed a couple of minutes ago, had tensed and began looking around for danger and at Harry every few minutes, which Amelia Bones noticed, and added to her own list.

**Harry groped for the doorknob - between Filch and death, he'd take Filch. They fell backward - Harry slammed the door shut, and they ran, they almost flew, back down the corridor. Filch must have hurried off to look for them somewhere else, because they didn't see him anywhere, but they hardly cared - all they wanted to do was put as much space as possible between them and that monster. They didn't stop running until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.**

**"Where on earth have you all been?" she asked, looking at their bathrobes hanging off their shoulders and their flushed, sweaty faces. "Never mind that - pig snout, pig snout," panted Harry, and the portrait swung forward. They scrambled into the common room and collapsed, trembling, into armchairs. It was a while before any of them said anything. Neville, indeed, looked as if he'd never speak again.**

**"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron finally. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does." Hermione had got both her breath and her bad temper back again. "You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" She snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"**

Lily smiled slightly, already liking this girl well enough, especially knowing how observant she seemed to be.

**"The floor?" Harry suggested. "I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads."**

**"No, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something." She stood up, glaring at them. "I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed - or worse, expelled. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed." **

Heads turned towards Hermione, who blushed and James laughed, remembering how Lily had once said that to him.

**Ron stared after her, his mouth open.**

**"No, we don't mind," he said. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you?" But Hermione had given Harry something else to think about as he climbed back into bed. The dog was guarding something... What had Hagrid said? Gringotts was the safest place in the world for something you wanted to hide - except perhaps Hogwarts. It looked as though Harry had found out where the grubby little package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was.**

Groans were heard all around the hall and Harry looked down and blushed, before he heard Cho speaking.

"Who'd like to read next?"

"I will," Tonks stated, as the book floated over to her.


	11. Chapter 11

"**CHAPTER TEN: HALLOWEEN" **Tonks started, wondering what this chapter entailed. Sirius was also wondering the same and looked over to his godson when he felt him tense, then relax, and let out a dog-like grin when he saw Harry and Hermione smiling at one another.

**Malfoy couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Harry and Ron were still at Hogwarts the next day, looking tired but perfectly cheerful. Indeed, by the next morning Harry and Ron thought that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure, and they were quite keen to have another one.**

"Oh dear god, there's the James Potter in my son," Lily mumbled with everyone laughing.

**In the meantime, Harry filled Ron in about the package that seemed to have been moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and they spent a lot of time wondering what could possibly need such heavy protection. **

**"It's either really valuable or really dangerous," said Ron.**

**"Or both," said Harry. But as all they knew for sure about the mysterious object was that it was about two inches long, they didn't have much chance of guessing what it was without further clues. Neither Neville nor Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay**

**underneath the dog and the trapdoor. All Neville cared about was never going near the dog again. Hermione was now refusing to speak to Harry and Ron, but she was such a bossy know-it-all that they saw this as an added bonus. **

"And here I thought they were best friends the whole time," Molly grumbled, wondering what changed.

**All they really wanted now was a way of getting back at Malfoy, and to their great delight, just such a thing arrived in the mail about a week later.**

**As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by a long, thin package carried by six large screech owls. Harry was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in this large parcel, and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of him, knocking his bacon to the floor. They had**

**hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel.**

**Harry ripped open the letter first, which was lucky, because it said:**

**DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE. It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your**

**first training session.**

**Professor McGonagall**

James cheered at this while Minerva smiled and reddened.

**Harry had difficulty hiding his glee as he handed the note to Ron to read.**

**"A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously. "I've never even touched one." They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first class, but halfway across the entrance hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy seized the package from Harry and felt it.**

Sirius growled at the sentence and Harry smiled.

**"That's a broomstick," he said, throwing it back to Harry with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them." Ron couldn't resist it.**

"Of course you couldn't, Ron," Arthur sighed, shaking his head with a smile on his face.

**"It's not any old broomstick," he said, "It's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned at Harry. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus."**

**"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," **

Narcissa looked shocked at this, surprised that this was how her son acted away from home. She knew immediately she'd have to change that.

- **Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig." Before Ron could answer, Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.**

**"Not arguing, I hope, boys?" he squeaked.**

**"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor," said Malfoy quickly.**

**"Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"**

**"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sit," said Harry, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face. "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it," he added. **

The Great Hall burst into laughter, and Sirius barked happily as he saw Harry smile, and noticed that his godson was definitely intelligent enough, brave enough, ambitious enough and loyal enough to fit into all of the houses equally.

**Harry and Ron headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Malfoy's obvious rage and confusion. "Well, it's true," Harry chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase, "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall I wouln't be on the team..."**

**"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" came an angry voice from just behind them. Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Harry's hand.**

**"I thought you weren't speaking to us?" said Harry.**

**"Yes, don't stop now," said Ron, "it's doing us so much good." **

Harry squeezed Hermione's hand at this, comforting her without even looking at her to know she needs it. Lily smiles when she sees this, and cuddles up next to James, who wraps his arm around her.

Looking onward, both Ginny and Severus' faces are set in a permanent, jealous frown.

**Hermione marched away with her nose in the air. Harry had a lot of trouble keeping his mind on his lessons that day. It kept wandering up to the dormitory where his new broomstick was lying under his bed, or straying off to the Quidditch field where he'd be learning to play that night.**

Harry scrunched his face up, knowing that it had also gone to Hermione, and how he had felt bad for Ron's words to her.

**He bolted his dinner that evening without noticing what he was eating, and then rushed upstairs with Ron to unwrap the Nimbus Two Thousand at last.**

He smiled lightly, remembering his old broom.

**"Wow," Ron sighed, as the broomstick rolled onto Harry's bedspread. Even Harry, who knew nothing about the different brooms, thought it looked wonderful. Sleek and shiny, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top. **

The quidditch fans sighed, and James, who'd never seen the broom, wished he could see it, or a replica of it.

**As seven o'clock drew nearer, Harry left the castle and set off in the dusk toward the Quidditch field. Held never been inside the stadium before. Hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the field so that the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the field were three golden poles with hoops on the end. They reminded Harry of the little plastic sticks Muggle children blew bubbles through, except that they were fifty feet high.**

Hermione, and many other muggleborns or half-bloods, laughed at the reminder of blowing bubbles, while everyone looked confused, and immediately turned to the muggle studies teacher, who began writing it down immediately.

**Too eager to fly again to wait for Wood, Harry mounted his broomstick and kicked off from the ground. What a feeling - he swooped in and out of the goal posts and then sped up and down the field. The Nimbus Two Thousand turned wherever he wanted at his lightest touch. **

**"Hey, Potter, come down!' Oliver Wood had arrived. He was carrying a large wooden crate under his arm. Harry landed next to him.**

**"Very nice," said Wood, his eyes glinting. "I see what McGonagall meant... you really are a natural. I'm just going to teach you the rules this evening, then you'll be joining team practice three times a week." **

"Ah—"

"Practice—"

"Three times a week!" The twins sighed, while everyone looked on in confusion.

**He opened the crate. Inside were four different-sized balls.**

**"Right," said Wood. "Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers."**

**"Three Chasers," Harry repeated, as Wood took out a bright red ball about the size of a soccer ball. "This ball's called the Quaffle," said Wood. "The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Follow me?"**

**"The Chasers throw the Quaffle and put it through the hoops to score," Harry recited. "So - that's sort of like basketball on broomsticks with six hoops, isn't it?"**

**"What's basketball?" said Wood curiously. "Never mind," said Harry quickly.**

**"Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper -I'm Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring."**

**"Three Chasers, one Keeper," said Harry, who was determined to remember it all. "And they play with the Quaffle. Okay, got that. So what are they for?" He pointed at the three balls left inside the box.**

**"I'll show you now," said Wood. "Take this." He handed Harry a small club, a bit like a short baseball bat. "I'm going to show you what the Bludgers do," Wood said. "These two are the Bludgers." He showed Harry two identical balls, jet black and slightly smaller than**

**the red Quaffle. Harry noticed that they seemed to be straining to escape the straps holding them inside the box.**

**"Stand back," Wood warned Harry. He bent down and freed one of the Bludgers. At once, the black ball rose high in the air and then pelted straight at Harry's face. Harry swung at it with the bat to stop it from breaking his nose, and sent it zigzagging away into the air – **

"Not bad, Harry." Fred interrupted, nodding his head.

- **it zoomed around their heads and then shot at Wood, who dived on top of it and managed to pin it to the ground.**

**"See?" Wood panted, forcing the struggling Bludger back into the crate and strapping it down safely. "The Bludgers rocket around, trying to knock players off their brooms. That's why you have two Beaters on each team - the Weasley twins are ours - it's their job to protect their side from the Bludgers and try and knock them toward the other team. So**

**- think you've got all that?"**

**"Three Chasers try and score with the Quaffle; the Keeper guards the goal posts; the Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team," Harry reeled off.**

**"Very good," said Wood.**

**"Er - have the Bludgers ever killed anyone?" Harry asked, hoping he sounded offhand.**

"Never at Hogwarts. A few broken jaws and bones, but that's it," James said, nodding his head at all of the Quidditch talk.

**"Never at Hogwarts. We've had a couple of broken jaws but nothing worse than that. Now, the last member of the team is the Seeker. That's you. And you don't have to worry about the Quaffle or the Bludgers unless they crack my head open."**

**"Don't worry, the Weasleys are more than a match for the Bludgers – I mean, they're like a pair of human Bludgers themselves." Wood reached into the crate and took out the fourth and last ball. Compared with the Quaffle and the Bludgers, it was tiny, about the size of a large walnut. It was bright gold and had little fluttering silver wings.**

**"This," said Wood, "is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see. It's the Seeker's job to catch it. You've got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, and Quaffle to get it**

**before the other team's Seeker, because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win. That's why Seekers get fouled so much. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so it can go on for ages**

**- I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep. "Well, that's it – any questions?" Harry shook his head. He understood what he had to do all right, it was doing it that was going to be the problem.**

**"We won't practice with the Snitch yet," said Wood, carefully shutting it back inside the crate, "it's too dark, we might lose it. Let's try you out with a few of these." He pulled a bag of ordinary golf balls out of his pocket and a few minutes later, he and Harry were up in the air, Wood throwing the golf balls as hard as he could in every direction for Harry to catch. Harry didn't miss a single one, and Wood was delighted. After half an hour, night had really fallen and they couldn't carry on.**

**"That Quidditch cup'll have our name on it this year," said Wood happily as they trudged back up to the castle. "I wouldn't be surprised if you turn out better than Charlie Weasley, and he could have played for England if he hadn't gone off chasing dragons."**

Charlie laughed, before speaking, "I would have, but I loved dragons more than Quidditch. Plus, I didn't want it to become a chore, like many other things would've." He finished, with his parents nodding their head.

**Perhaps it was because he was now so busy, what with Quidditch practice three evenings a week on top of all his homework, but Harry could hardly believe it when he realized that he'd already been at Hogwarts two months. The castle felt more like home than Privet Drive ever had. **

Sirius whimpered at this, his head straight down, with Harry comforting him.

**His lessons, too, were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics. On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom. Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Harry's partner was Seamus Finnigan (which was a relief, because Neville had been trying to catch his eye).**

"Sorry, Nev," Harry stated, feeling bad.

"It's alright, mate."

**Ron, ****however, was to be working with Hermione Granger. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. She hadn't spoken to either of them since the day Harry's broomstick had arrived.**

**"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too - never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' an found himself on the floor with a**

**buffalo on his chest." It was very difficult. Harry and Seamus swished and flicked, but the**

**feather they were supposed to be sending skyward just lay on the desktop. Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it - Harry had to put it out with his hat. Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much more luck.**

**"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.**

"Well, there's your problem right there," Lily snorted, grimacing at such bad use of charms work.

**"You're saying it wrong," Harry heard Hermione snap. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."**

**"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled. Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!" Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.**

**"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!" Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class. "It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly."**

"Ronald Billius Weasley, how dare you!" Molly shrieked, not happy with er son's choices in this chapter.

**Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione. Harry caught a glimpse of her face - and was startled to see that she was in tears.**

Harry grimaced, squeezing Hermione's hand while remembering how horrible he felt for 'Mione that day.

**"I think she heard you."**

**"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable.**

"Good!" Many of the females in the room shouted while glaring at Ron for his insensitivity.

**"She must've noticed she's got no friends." Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon. On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Harry and Ron overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom and wanted to be left alone. Ron looked still more awkward at this, but a moment later they had entered the Great Hall, where the Halloween decorations put Hermione out of their minds. A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.**

**Harry was just helping himself to a baked potato when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face.**

"Why, what's going on?" Lily asked, sitting up straighter with worry on her face.

**Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll - in the dungeons - thought you ought to know." He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.**

James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, and many others gasped in shock, surprised that a troll could actually get into the castle. After hearing about this though, Hermione scrunched up her face before writing something on her parchment and showing Harry, who also scrunched up his face also and nodded.

On the page, she had written, _Quirrell=trolls for stone. He let it in. Why not fired?_

**There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.**

**"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!" Percy was in his element.**

At this, the actual Percy puffed out his chest in pride, but not without everyone in his family frowning.

**"Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"**

"Like that matters in the grand scheme of things," Ginny mumbled, crossing her arms angrily across her chest.

**"How could a troll get in?" Harry asked as they climbed the stairs.**

**"Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid," said Ron. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke."**

"Peeves is not that cruel," Remus interrupted, shaking his head.

**They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Harry suddenly grabbed Ron's arm.**

"Finally!" Hermione breathed, grabbing a hold of Harry's arm while she did so.

**"I've just thought - Hermione."**

**"What about her?"**

"Jesus, Ron, what about her." George interrupted, shaking his head as Charlie and Bill laughed lightly.

**"She doesn't know about the troll." Ron bit his lip.**

**"Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us." Ducking down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.**

**"Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Harry behind a large stone griffin. Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.**

James looked over at Snape quickly, arching his eyebrow.

**"What's he doing?" Harry whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"**

**"Search me." Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's**

**fading footsteps.**

**"He's heading for the third floor," Harry said, but Ron held up his hand.**

**"Can you smell something?" Harry sniffed and a foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean. And then they heard it - a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron pointed - at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving toward them. They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight. It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks**

**with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long. The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room.**

"Jesus, Potter, do you have to be so bloody descriptive?" Pansy Parkinson mumbled, while many others nodded their heads in agreement.

**"The keys in the lock," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in."**

**"Good idea," said Ron nervously. **

"Bad idea!" Lily said, her leg shaking while James looked at her in confusion.

**They edged toward the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it.**

**'Yes!" Flushed with their victory, they started to run back up the passage, but as they reached the corner they heard something that made their hearts stop - a high, petrified scream - and it was coming from the chamber they'd just chained up.**

**"Oh, no," said Ron, pale as the Bloody Baron.**

**"It's the girls' bathroom!" Harry gasped.**

At this point, James shook his head, finally understanding while Lily flinched at the idea of being trapped in a bathroom with a troll.

**"Hermione!" they said together. It was the last thing they wanted to do, but what choice did they have? **

"And by that, we mean go head to head with a troll, not saving you, 'Mione." Harry interrupted, knowing where Hermione's thoughts were heading. She smiled gratefully before going back to listening to the book.

**Wheeling around, they sprinted back to the door and turned the key, fumbling in their panic. Harry pulled the door open and they ran inside. Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint. The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went.**

"Now is not the time to stop, Hermione." Ginny said in an emotion that caused Snuffles to look up at her and watch her for a couple minutes, wondering why the hostility. Unbeknownst to him, Ginny was thinking about how Harry needed someone who would fight alongside him, not just stand there scared. However, she would soon discover how wrong she was in the upcoming years.

**"Confuse it!" Harry said desperately to Ron, and, seizing a tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall. **

"A good idea, Potter." Mad-Eye stated, pacing by the doors.

**The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Harry.**

Sirius tensed, not wanting his godson to be in any danger. Harry, having felt this, wrapped his arms around the dog while still petting him in order to calm him down.

**It hesitated, then made for him instead, lifting its club as it went.**

Sirius tensed once more.

**"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead, giving Harry time to run around it. **

**"Come on, run, run!" Harry yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her toward the door, but she couldn't move, she was still flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror. **

"Hermione!" Many people groaned, while the person in question just put her head down, blushing.

**The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape. Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid: **

"Doesn't he always?" Snape grumbled, causing both James and Lily to look over at him and glare in annoyance.

**He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind.**

"Hey! Looks like your practice with your uncle ended up working!" Seamus shouted, with many people laughing at the reminder of the time Harry jumped on Dursley's back.

**The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Harry's wand had still been in his hand when he'd jumped – it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils. **

"Oh dear," Lily said, scrunching her own nose up in empathy and a feint pain.

**Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Harry clinging on for dear life; any second, the troll was going to rip him off or catch him a terrible blow with the club. Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright; Ron pulled out his own wand - not knowing what he was going to do he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: "Wingardium Leviosa!"**

"Jesus Christ, Weasley," Snape snapped, shaking his head in annoyance, "Maybe you should've done a spell you knew you could do properly."

**The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over - and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. **

Snape snapped his mouth shut, having opened it in shock, while Ron just smirked at the professor, extremely annoyed at im.

**The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble. Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath. Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done. It was Hermione who spoke first.**

**"Is it - dead?" **

"**I don't think so," said Harry, "I think it's just been knocked out." He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue.**

"Urgh – troll boogers!" James said, disgust written on his face as Tonks laughed before continuing.

**"Urgh - troll boogers." He wiped it on the troll's trousers. A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. **

"Try the whole school, Harry," Hagrid stated, laughing slightly.

**A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart. **

Harry snorted, knowing the truth, wondering how Quirrell could've gone under the radar for so long.

**Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white.**

"Of course, Potter. I was worried something terrible must have happened for the troll to be making those kind of noises!"

**Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Harry's mind.**

**"What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. **

James, Sirius and Remus all flinched, having heard that tone of voice only a few short times in their life at Hogwarts.

**Harry looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?" Snape gave Harry a swift, piercing look. Harry looked at the floor. He wished Ron would put his wand down. Then a small voice came out of the shadows.**

**"Please, Professor McGonagall - they were looking for me."**

**"Miss Granger!" Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last. "I went looking for the troll because I - I thought I could deal with it on my own - you know, because I've read all about them." Ron dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher? **

At this, many people dropped their mouths in shock, and Minerva herself was shocked at that, remembering the incident very clearly.

**"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived." Harry and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them. **

"You weren't," Snape growled, and James, having had enough, snapped back.

"Then you would've said something, Snape, not just stand there."

**"Well - in that case..." said Professor McGonagall, staring at the three of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"**

**Hermione hung her head. Harry was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.**

Laughter rung out in the room, and Snape turned red at it.

**"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses." Hermione left. **

"It's when they pull out the disappointed card that you feel the worst," Hermione mumbled, while many other people nodded their heads, knowing the feeling of it.

**Professor McGonagall turned to Harry and Ron. "Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go." They hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak at all until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.**

**"We should have gotten more than ten points," Ron grumbled.**

**"Five, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's."**

**"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save her."**

"Hey!" Hermione interrupted, "I might not have needed saving if you hadn't locked the thing in there with me!"

Tonks chuckled once more.

**"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her," Harry reminded him. They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.**

Hermione blushed, looking at Harry with a small smile.

**"Pig snout," they said and entered. The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking**

**at each other, they all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates. But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.**

"And you know, having someone you care about so much get petrified, help kidnap the one person of your family to set them free, and stick with you despite everything else," Harry mumbled, smiling at Hermione, who smiled back while blushing. Ginny, who hadn't heard this, glowered with her face looking redder than anything.

"Who wants to read next?" Tonks questioned, holding the book up high.

"I will, Tonks!" Lee said, who summoned the book over to him.


	12. Chapter 12

"**CHAPTER ELEVEN, QUIDDITCH" **Lee started, grinning when he realizes that it's a good thing he's reading this chapter.

James was currently shaking his leg and trying not to jump up and down in excitement over hearing about his son's first quidditch game. Sirius was wagging his tail, and Remus was grinning. Hermione, however, groaned, realizing what this chapter included.

**As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy gray and the lake like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs windows defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch field, bundled up in a long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous**

**beaverskin boots. The Quidditch season had begun. On Saturday, Harry would be playing in his first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the house championship. Hardly anyone had seen Harry play because Wood had decided that, as their secret weapon, Harry should be kept, well, secret.**

"Like that'll ever happen in Hogwarts," Lily snorted.

**But the news that he was playing Seeker had leaked out somehow, and Harry didn't know which was worse - people telling him he'd be brilliant or people telling him they'd be running around underneath him holding a mattress.**

Sirius growled, Amelia wrote, and James glared.

**It was really lucky that Harry now had Hermione as a friend. **

Hermione blushed.

**He didn't know how he'd have gotten through all his homework without her, what with all the last-minute Quidditch practice Wood was making them do.**

She then glared at Harry who grinned sheepishly andwhispered in her ear, causing her to smile lightly. Ginny glared, Lily snorted and James grinned at the image they presented.

**She had also lent him Quidditch Through the Ages, which turned out to be a very interesting read. **

James nodded in agreement, as did many other quidditch fans.

**Harry learned that there were seven hundred ways of committing a Quidditch foul and that all of them had happened during a World Cup match in 1473; that Seekers were usually the smallest and fastest players, and that most serious Quidditch accidents seemed to happen to them; that although people rarely died playing Quidditch, referees had been known to vanish and turn up months later in the Sahara Desert. **

**Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules since Harry and Ron had saved her from the mountain troll, and she was much nicer for it.**

All of the teachers snapped their gaze to the female, who blushed and bit her lip, trying not to laugh.

**The day before Harry's first Quidditch match, the three of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and she had conjured them up a bright blue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar. They were standing with their backs to it, getting warm, when Snape crossed the yard. Harry noticed at once that Snape was limping. **

"Observant too much, Potter." Snape grumbled.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved closer together to block the fire from view; they were sure it wouldn't be allowed. **

"It actually is," Albus stated, his eyes twinkling.

"It's just really advanced magic for a first year," Flitwick replied, clearly impressed with Hermione, as was Lily, with Charms being one of her best subjects.

**Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Snape's eye. He limped over. He hadn't seen the fire, but he seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway.**

James growled, annoyed with the man once more.

**"What's that you've got there, Potter?"**

**It was Quidditch Through the Ages. Harry showed him.**

**"Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape.**

"That's not a rule, Snape." Lily growled, tired of Severus taking his anger from James and Sirius out on her son. Snape flinched, hating that his once best friend called him by his last name.

**"Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor."**

**"He's just made that rule up," Harry muttered angrily as Snape limped away. "Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"**

**"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," said Ron bitterly. **

"Ronald Weasley!" Molly snapped, unimpressed.

**The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat together next to a window. Hermione was checking Harry and Ron's Charms homework for them. She would never let them copy ("How will you learn?"), but by asking her to read it through, they got the right answers anyway. Harry felt restless. He wanted Quidditch Through the Ages back, to take his mind off his nerves about tomorrow. Why should he be afraid of Snape? Getting up, he told Ron and Hermione he was going to ask Snape if he could have it.**

"That's brave, Potter." Someone snorted.

**"Better you than me," they said together, but Harry had an idea that Snape wouldn't refuse if there were other teachers listening. **

"He's probably right," Snape mumbled.

**He made his way down to the staffroom and knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again. Nothing. Perhaps Snape had left the book in there? It was worth a try. He pushed the door ajar and peered inside - and a horrible scene met his eyes. Snape and Filch were inside, alone.**

"ARGHHHHHH" The Weasley's shouted while James, laughed.

"My mind needs to be washed out Lil's. Would you mind?"

**Snape was holding his robes above his knees. **

"ARGHHHHHH!" More shouting was heard, while many laughed and Snape growled out that they weren't doing anything like that.

**One of his legs was bloody and mangled. Filch was handing Snape bandages.**

**"Blasted thing," Snape was saying. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?" Harry tried to shut the door quietly, but –**

**"POTTER!" Snape's face was twisted with fury as he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. Harry gulped.**

**"I just wondered if I could have my book back."**

"That is brave, Harry." Ginny said confidently twirling her hair around her finger.

**"GET OUT! OUT!" Harry left, before Snape could take any more points from Gryffindor. He sprinted back upstairs.**

**"Did you get it?" Ron asked as Harry joined them. **

**"What's the matter?" In a low whisper, Harry told them what he'd seen.**

**"You know what this means?" he finished breathlessly. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him - he's after whatever it's guarding! And I'd bet my broomstick he let that troll in, to make a diversion!"**

"I'm thankful I didn't take that bet," Harry laughed.

**Hermione's eyes were wide.**

**"No - he wouldn't, she said. "I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."**

**"Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something," snapped Ron. "I'm with Harry. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?" **

**Harry went to bed with his head buzzing with the same question. Neville was snoring loudly, but Harry couldn't sleep. He tried to empty his mind - he needed to sleep, he had to, he had his first Quidditch match in a few hours - but the expression on Snape's face when Harry had seen his leg wasn't easy to forget. **

**The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match.**

**"You've got to eat some breakfast."**

**"I don't want anything."**

**"Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione.**

"I like how she tries to get him to eat. It's what you use to do for me," James said against Lily's hair, causing her to laugh and kiss him lightly.

**"I'm not hungry." Harry felt terrible. In an hour's time he'd be walking onto the field.**

**"Harry, you need your strength," said Seamus Finnigan. "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team."**

James snorted, shaking his head, knowing that wouldn't help his son.

**"Thanks, Seamus," said Harry, watching Seamus pile ketchup on his sausages. By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air, but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes. **

"We should get a jumbotron!" Harry murmured, with many people nodding their heads in agreement.

**Ron and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean the West Ham fan up in the top row. **

"Really Harry, really?" Dean asked, snorting.

**As a surprise for Harry, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined. It said Potter for President, and Dean, who was good at drawing, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. **

"You guys have no idea how much that helped me,"

**Then Hermione had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colors. **

Lily smiled, even more impressed.

**Meanwhile, in the locker room, Harry and the rest of the team were changing into their scarlet Quidditch robes (Slytherin would be playing in green). Wood cleared his throat for silence.**

Harry grinned at Fred and George, who grinned back.

"Okay men," Fred started with George continuing, then Harry.

"And women,"

"The big one"

"The one we've all been waiting for,"

"This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it."

"Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you." Everyone laughed, when Harry finished, the three of them included.

**"Okay, men," he said.**

**"And women," said Chaser Angelina Johnson.**

**"And women," Wood agreed. "This is it."**

**"The big one," said Fred Weasley.**

**"The one we've all been waiting for," said George.**

**"We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry, "we were on the team last year."**

**"Shut up, you two," said Wood. "This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it." He glared at them all as if to say, "Or else."**

**"Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you." Harry followed Fred and George out of the locker room and, hoping his knees weren't going to give way, walked onto the field to loud cheers.**

**Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand.**

**"Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," she said, once they were all gathered around her. **

"With Gryffindor versus Slytherin? Highly doubtful, Hooch," Lily snorted.

**Harry noticed that she seemed to be speaking particularly to the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, a sixth year. Harry thought Flint looked as if he had some troll blood in him. **

Many laughed at this line.

**Out of the corner of his eye he saw the fluttering banner high above, flashing Potter for President over the crowd. His heart skipped. He felt braver.**

**"Mount your brooms, please." Harry clambered onto his Nimbus Two Thousand.**

**Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle. Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off. **

**"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor - what**

**an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too -"**

**"JORDAN!"**

**"Sorry, Professor." The Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall.**

**"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve - back to Johnson and - no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes - Flint flying**

**like an eagle up there - he's going to sc- no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle - that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and - OUCH - that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger - Quaffle taken by the Slytherins - that's**

**Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger - sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which –"**

"Jeeze, Lee, thanks." Fred snorted.

**-"nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes - she's really flying - dodges a speeding Bludger - the goal posts are ahead - come on, now, Angelina - Keeper Bletchley dives - misses - GRYFFINDORS SCORE!" Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins.**

**"Budge up there, move along."**

**"Hagrid!" Ron and Hermione squeezed together to give Hagrid enough space to join**

**them.**

**"Bin watchin' from me hut," said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck, "But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"**

**"Nope," said Ron. "Harry hasn't had much to do yet."**

**"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'," said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Harry. Way up above them, Harry was gliding over the game, squinting about for some sign of the Snitch. This was part of his and Wood's game plan.**

**"Keep out of the way until you catch sight of the Snitch," Wood had said. "We don't want you attacked before you have to be." When Angelina had scored, Harry had done a couple of loop-the-loops to let off his feelings. **

James smiled, remembering how he used to do the same thing, and could briefly hear Remus telling Harry that, who let out a grin.

**Now he was back to staring around for the Snitch. Once he caught sight of a flash of gold, but it was just a reflection from one of the Weasleys' wristwatches, and once a Bludger decided to come pelting his way, more like a cannonball than anything, but Harry dodged it and Fred Weasley came chasing after it.**

**"All right there, Harry?" he had time to yell, as he beat the Bludger furiously toward Marcus Flint.**

**"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the - wait a moment - was that the Snitch?" A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear. Harry saw it. In a great rush of excitement he dived downward after the streak of gold. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen it, too. Neck and neck they hurtled toward the Snitch -all the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair to watch. Harry was faster than Higgs - he could see the little round ball, wings**

**fluttering, darting up ahead - - he put on an extra spurt of speed –**

**WHAM! A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below - Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose, and Harry's broom spun off course, Harry holding on for dear life.**

James glared, having taken a couple of seconds to get out of the game being read and the thrill of it and into the protective father mode he'd developed so long ago.

**"Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors. Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goal posts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again. Down in the stands, Dean Thomas was yelling, "Send him off, ref! Red card!"**

**"What are you talking about, Dean?" said Ron.**

**"Red card!" said Dean furiously. "In soccer you get shown the red card and you're out of the game!"**

**"But this isn't soccer, Dean," Ron reminded him. Hagrid, however, was on Dean's side.**

**"They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air." **

**Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides. "So - after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating"**

**"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.**

**"I mean, after that open and revolting foul"**

"**Jordan, I'm warning you -"**

**"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinner, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession." It was as Harry dodged another Bludger, which went spinning dangerously past his head, that it happened. **

"What happened?" Lily growled as James tensed.

**His broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch. For a split second, he thought he was going to fall. He gripped the broom tightly with both his hands and knees. He'd never felt anything like that.**

Lily's eyes widened and Hermione groaned, thankful that Snape couldn't do anything for what was about to happen.

**It happened again. It was as though the broom was trying to buck him off. But Nimbus Two Thousands did not suddenly decide to buck their riders off. Harry tried to turn back toward the Gryffindor goal- posts - he had half a mind to ask Wood to call time-out - and then he realized that his broom was completely out of his control. He couldn't turn it. He couldn't direct it at all. It was zigzagging through the air, and every now and then making violent swishing movements that almost unseated him. Lee was still commentating.**

"Why hasn't anyone noticed?" Lily interrupted, going out of her mind with worry.

**"Slytherin in possession - Flint with the Quaffle - passes Spinnet - passes Bell - hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose - only joking, Professor - Slytherins score - A no..."**

**The Slytherins were cheering. No one seemed to have noticed that Harry's broom was behaving strangely. It was carrying- him slowly higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went.**

**"Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing," Hagrid mumbled. He stared through his binoculars. "If I didn' know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom... but he can't have..." Suddenly, people were pointing up at Harry all over the stands. His broom had started to roll over and over, with him only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. Harry's broom had given a wild jerk and Harry swung off it. He was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand.**

**"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered.**

"Nope. Only dark magic could interfere with a broom," Remus stated, frowning.

**"Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark magic - no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand." At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Harry, she started looking frantically at the crowd.**

**"What are you doing?" moaned Ron, gray-faced.**

**"I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape - look." Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering nonstop under his breath.**

"Thanks, Snape." James sighed without looking at the greasy-haired man, whose attention snapped to him instantly in confusion. Lily smiled lightly when this happened, and then grinned when she saw that James wasn't going to explain himself further.

**"He's doing something - jinxing the broom," said Hermione.**

**"What should we do?"**

**"Leave it to me." Before Ron could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Ron turned the binoculars back on Harry. His broom was vibrating so hard, it was almost impossible for him to hang on much longer. The whole crowd was on its feet, watching, terrified, as the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Harry safely onto one of their brooms, but it was no good - every time they got near him, the broom would jump higher still. They dropped lower and circled beneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell. Marcus**

**Flint seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing.**

**"Come on, Hermione," Ron muttered desperately. Hermione had fought her way across to the stand where Snape stood, and was now racing along the row behind him; she didn't even stop to say sorry as she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front.**

**Reaching Snape, she crouched down, pulled out her wand, and whispered a few, well- chosen words. Bright blue flames shot from her wand onto the hem of Snape's robes. It took perhaps thirty seconds for Snape to realize that he was on fire. A sudden yelp told her she had done her job. Scooping the fire off him into a little jar in her pocket, she scrambled back along the row - Snape would never know what had happened.**

"Except I do now, Granger," Snape growled, while everyone laughed or showed that they were impressed with her magic at such a young age.

**It was enough. Up in the air, Harry was suddenly able to clamber back on to his broom.**

**"Neville, you can look!" Ron said. Neville had been sobbing into Hagrid's jacket for the last five minutes. **

Neville blushed, especially when many laughed at the image that was presented at those words.

**Harry was speeding toward the ground when the crowd saw him clap his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick - he hit the field on all fours - coughed - and something gold fell into his hand.**

"Holy sh—"

"Potter!" Minerva interrupted before James could finish, causing many people to laugh, especially when Harry spoke.

"What? I wasn't doing anything this time!"

**"I've got the Snitch!" he shouted, waving it above his head, and the game ended in complete confusion. **

**"He didn't catch it, he nearly swallowed it," Flint was still howling twenty minutes later, but it made no difference - Harry hadn't broken any rules and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the results - Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty. Harry heard none of this, though. He was being made a cup of strong tea back**

**in Hagrid's hut, with Ron and Hermione.**

**"It was Snape," Ron was explaining, "Hermione and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you."**

**"Rubbish," said Hagrid, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on next to him in the stands. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?" Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another, wondering what to tell him. Harry decided on the truth.**

**"I found out something about him," he told Hagrid. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding."**

**Hagrid dropped the teapot. "How do you know about Fluffy?" he said.**

"Fluffy?" James and Lily questioned Hagrid, who just shrugged.

**"Fluffy?"**

**"Yeah - he's mine - bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year - I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the-"**

**"Yes?" said Harry eagerly.**

**"Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."**

**"But Snape's trying to steal it."**

**"Rubbish," said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."**

**"So why did he just try and kill Harry?" cried Hermione. The afternoon's events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape.**

"**I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!"**

"You've also got to do the same for the counter curse, Granger." Snape snapped and James rolled his eyes at Lily, who giggled.

**"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all three of yeh - yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel -"**

"HAGRID!" Many of the teachers semi-shouted, shaking their heads at Hagrid, who just blushed.

**"Aha!" said Harry, "so there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?" Hagrid looked furious with himself. **

"I was!" Hagrid said, before Lee could ask who would want to read next.

"I would, Lee." Ginny stated, grabbing the book from Lee while smiling.


	13. Chapter 13

"**CHAPTER TWELVE, THE MIRROR OF ERISED" **Ginny started. Harry, who had been petting Sirius, suddenly faltered in his strokes, which Sirius had noticed immediately alongside the fact that Harry had tensed.

Despite being in his animagus form, Sirius looked over at his godson, surprised when Harry wrapped his arms around his neck and tightened the hold a little.

"I wish you could be in your human form for this part, Siri," He mumbled. Sirius scrunched up his face, surprised, pleased and worried at his godson's reaction to the title alone.

This did not go unnoticed by many people – mainly, Harry's parents, Remus, Albus, Minerva and Hermione, who knew instantly what was going on due to her many talks with her friend.

**Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. **

"Wonder how they'll feel when they realize what was under the turban," Ron muttered.

**The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again.**

**No one could wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.**

Many people shivered, as the coldness of the year was just starting to settle in.

**"I do feel so sorry," said Draco Malfoy, one Potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."**

James growled at Malfoy, alongside Sirius, who backed away slightly as his father glared.

**He was looking over at Harry as he spoke. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled. Harry, who was measuring out powdered spine of lionfish, ignored them. Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that the Slytherins had lost, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Harry as Seeker next. Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Harry had managed to stay on his bucking broomstick. So Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Harry about having no proper family. It was true that Harry wasn't going back to Privet Drive for Christmas. Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Harry had signed up at once. He didn't feel sorry for himself at all; this would probably be the best Christmas he'd ever had. **

More growls were heard at the reminder of the Dursley's.

**Ron and his brothers were staying, too, because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie.**

"Ah, such a good holiday," Ginny said, interrupting herself while reminiscing.

**When they left the dungeons at the end of Potions, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them that Hagrid was behind it. **

**"Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asked, sticking his head through the branches.**

**"Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron."**

**"Would you mind moving out of the way?" came Malfoy's cold drawl from behind them. **

**"Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose - that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to." **

All the Weasley's growled, staring at Malfoy angrily, who shirked away uncomfortable once more.

**Ron dived at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs.**

"Bet he planned that," Fred stated, with George nodding his head in agreement.

**"WEASLEY!" Ron let go of the front of Malfoy's robes.**

**"He was provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, sticking his huge hairy face out from behind the tree. "Malfoy was insultin' his family."**

**"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid," said Snape silkily. "Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you."**

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere and smirking.**

**"I'll get him," said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy's back, "one of these days, I'll get him -"**

**"I hate them both," said Harry, "Malfoy and Snape."**

**"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," said Hagrid. "Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat." So the three of them followed Hagrid and his tree off to -the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with**

**the Christmas decorations.**

**"Ah, Hagrid, the last tree - put it in the far corner, would you?" The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.**

**"How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked.**

**"Just one," said Hermione. "And that reminds me -Harry, Ron, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."**

**"Oh yeah, you're right," said Ron, tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree.**

"The library?" Everyone said confused, while Ron just smirked.

**"The library?" said Hagrid, following them out of the hall. "Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?"**

**"Oh, we're not working," Harry told him brightly. "Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is."**

"Ah," The twins started, worried that the prankster status they planned on giving had to be taken away before even given.

**"You what?" Hagrid looked shocked. "Listen here - I've told yeh – drop it. It's nothin' to you what that dog's guardin'."**

**"We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all," said Hermione.**

**"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Harry added. "We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere - just give us a hint - I know I've read his name somewhere."**

**"I'm sayin' nothin, said Hagrid flatly.**

**"Just have to find out for ourselves, then," said Ron, and they left Hagrid looking disgruntled and hurried off to the library. They had indeed been searching books for Flamel's name ever since Hagrid had let it slip, because how else were they going to find out what Snape was trying to steal? The trouble was, it was very hard to know where to**

**begin, not knowing what Flamel might have done to get himself into a book. He wasn't in Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century, or Notable Magical Names of Our Time; he was missing, too, from Important Modern Magical Discoveries, and A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry.**

"Well, he isn't exactly recent," James interrupted, an eyebrow cocked in amusement.

**And then, of course, there was the sheer size of the library; tens of thousands of books; thousands of shelves; hundreds of narrow rows. Hermione took out a list of subjects and titles she had decided to search while Ron strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random. Harry wandered over to the Restricted Section. He had been wondering for a while if Flamel wasn't somewhere in there. Unfortunately, you needed a specially signed note from one of the teachers to look in any of the restricted books, and he knew he'd never get one. These were the books containing powerful Dark Magic never taught at Hogwarts, and only read by older students studying advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts.**

**"What are you looking for, boy?"**

**"Nothing," said Harry. Madam Pince the librarian brandished a feather duster at him.**

**"You'd better get out, then. Go on - out!" Wishing he'd been a bit quicker at thinking up some story, Harry left the library. He, Ron, and Hermione had already agreed they'd better not ask Madam Pince where they could find Flamel. They were sure she'd be**

**able to tell them, but they couldn't risk Snape hearing what they were up to. Harry waited outside in the corridor to see if the other two had found anything, but he wasn't very hopeful. They had been looking for two weeks, after A, but as they only had odd moments between lessons it wasn't surprising they'd found nothing. What they really needed was a**

**nice long search without Madam Pince breathing down their necks. Five minutes later, Ron and Hermione joined him, shaking their heads. They went off to lunch.**

**"You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" said Hermione. "And send me an owl if you find anything."**

**"And you could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is," said Ron. "It'd be safe to ask them."**

"Aren't they muggles though?" Someone questioned and Hermione nodded, still worried about Harry, who had started hiding himself in Sirius' fur as the chapter went on.

**"Very safe, as they're both dentists," said Hermione. Once the holidays had started, Ron and Harry were having too good a time to think much about Flamel. They had the dormitory to themselves and the common room was far emptier than usual, so they were able to get the good armchairs by the fire. They sat by the hour eating anything they**

**could spear on a toasting fork - bread, English muffins, marshmallows - and plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled, which were fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work.**

James and Remus snorted, and James couldn't help but wonder how hidden the little Marauder in his son was.

**Ron also started teaching Harry wizard chess. This was exactly like Muggle chess except that the figures were alive, which made it a lot like directing troops in battle. Ron's set was very old and battered. **

Lily scrunched up her face, having a bad feeling about that sentence.

**Like everything else he owned, it had once belonged to someone else in his family - in this case, his grandfather. However, old chessmen weren't a drawback at all. Ron knew them so well he never had trouble getting them to do what he wanted. Harry played with chessmen Seamus Finnigan had lent him, and they didn't trust him at all. He wasn't a very good player yet and they kept shouting different bits of advice at him, which was confusing. **

**"Don't send me there, can't you see his knight?"**

"**Send him, we can afford to lose him." **

I hate when they do that Sirius thought, shaking his head.

**On Christmas Eve, Harry went to bed looking forward to the next day for the food and the fun, but not expecting any presents at all. **

James growled, but was surprised when he heard Sirius whimper. Looking over, he saw an amount of remorse and guilt in his best friends features – even as a dog – that he couldn't help but want to comfort him. Instead, he watched as his son tightened his grip on his godfather, buried himself further into the fur and whisper something, though he assumed, 'it's alright' was whispered and felt proud of the link Sirius had with his son.

**When he woke early in the morning, however, the first thing he saw was a small pile of packages at the foot of his bed.**

**"Merry Christmas," said Ron sleepily as Harry scrambled out of bed and pulled on his bathrobe.**

**"You, too," said Harry. "Will you look at this? I've got some presents!"**

Lily smiled, wondering why her son seemed so upset at such a wonderful time during the book.

**"What did you expect, turnips?" said Ron, turning to his own pile, which was a lot bigger than Harry's. Harry picked up the top parcel. It was wrapped in thick brown paper and**

**scrawled across it was To Harry, from Hagrid. Inside was a roughly cut wooden flute. Hagrid had obviously whittled it himself. Harry blew it - it sounded a bit like an owl.**

"Thanks, Hagrid." Harry mumbled, though it was barely heard through the thick fur of the dog.

**A second, very small parcel contained a note.**

**We received your message and enclose your Christmas present. **

**From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. **

**Taped to the note was a fifty-pence piece.**

**"That's friendly," said Harry. Ron was fascinated by the fifty pence.**

**"Weird!" he said, "What a shape! This is money?"**

**"You can keep it," said Harry, laughing at how pleased Ron was. "Hagrid and my aunt and uncle - so who sent these?"**

**"I think I know who that one's from," said Ron, turning a bit pink and pointing to a very lumpy parcel. "My mom. I told her you didn't expect any presents and - oh, no," he groaned, "she's made you a Weasley sweater." Harry had torn open the parcel to find a thick, hand-knitted sweater in emerald green and a large box of homemade fudge.**

**"Every year she makes us a sweater," said Ron, unwrapping his own, "and mine's always maroon."**

Molly frowned, wondering if Ron didn't like that color.

**"That's really nice of her," said Harry, trying the fudge, which was very tasty. His next present also contained candy - a large box of Chocolate Frogs from Hermione. This only left one parcel. Harry picked it up and felt it. It was very light. He unwrapped it. **

James sat up straighter, while Lily grinned and shook her head.

**Something fluid and silvery gray went slithering to the floor where it lay in gleaming folds. Ron gasped.**

As did James, who also started to jump up and down slightly, and Sirius, who was wagging his tail and the twins, who looked at Harry with excitement in their eyes.

However, it dimmed, when they heard Harry mumble, "No guys. Only thing, Dads." But they nodded their head, understanding.

**"I've heard of those," he said in a hushed voice, dropping the box of Every Flavor Beans he'd gotten from Hermione. "If that's what I think it is - they're really rare, and really valuable."**

**"What is it?" Harry picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to**

**the touch, like water woven into material.**

**"It's an invisibility cloak," said Ron, a look of awe on his face. "I'm sure it is - try it on."**

**Harry threw the cloak around his shoulders and Ron gave a yell.**

**"It is! Look down!" Harry looked down at his feet, but they were gone. He dashed to the**

**mirror. Sure enough, his reflection looked back at him, just his head suspended in midair, his body completely invisible. He pulled the cloak over his head and his reflection vanished completely.**

**"There's a note!" said Ron suddenly. "A note fell out of it!" Harry pulled off the cloak and seized the letter. Written in narrow, loopy writing he had never seen before were the following words: **

**Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well. A Very Merry Christmas to you.**

**There was no signature. Harry stared at the note. Ron was admiring the cloak.**

**"I'd give anything for one of these," he said. "Anything. What's the matter?"**

**"Nothing," said Harry. He felt very strange. Who had sent the cloak? Had it really once belonged to his father? Before he could say or think anything else, the dormitory door was flung open and Fred and George Weasley bounded in. Harry stuffed the cloak quickly out of sight. He didn't feel like sharing it with anyone else yet.**

"Completely understandable, mate." The twins stated, smiling lightly at Harry, who hadn't seen, as he was still buried in his godfather's fur.

**"Merry Christmas!"**

**"Hey, look - Harry's got a Weasley sweater, too!" Fred and George were wearing blue sweaters, one with a large yellow F on it, the other a G.**

**"Harry's is better than ours, though," said Fred, holding up Harry's sweater. "She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family."**

**"Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron?" George demanded. "Come on, get it on, they're lovely and warm."**

**"I hate maroon," Ron moaned halfheartedly as he pulled it over his head.**

"I'd prefer a lighter color, truthfully," He muttered, scratching his head.

**"You haven't got a letter on yours," George observed. "I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid - we know we're called Gred and Forge."**

Laughter was heard throughout the hall.

**"What's all this noise?" Percy Weasley stuck his head through the door, looking disapproving. He had clearly gotten halfway through unwrapping his presents as he, too,**

**carried a lumpy sweater over his arm, which Fred seized.**

**"P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry got one."**

**"I - don't – want" said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the sweater over his head, knocking his glasses askew.**

Everyone glared at Percy, who looked down.

**"And you're not sitting with the prefects today, either," said George. "Christmas is a time for family."**

"Not anymore, obviously." Ginny muttered, interrupting herself.

**They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by his sweater. Harry had never in all his life had such a Christmas dinner. A hundred fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce - and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table. These fantastic party favors were nothing like the feeble Muggle ones the Dursleys usually bought, with their little plastic toys and their flimsy paper hats inside. Harry pulled a wizard cracker with Fred and it didn't just bang, it went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice. Up at the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet, and was chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just read him. Flaming Christmas puddings followed the turkey. Percy nearly broke his teeth on a silver sickle embedded in his slice. Harry watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Harry's amazement, giggled and blushed, her top hat lopsided.**

"Not. A. Word." Minerva glared at the people she knew would laugh, who then had to stifle themselves.

**When Harry finally left the table, he was laden down with a stack of things out of the crackers, including a pack of nonexplodable, luminous balloons, a Grow-Your-Own-Warts kit, and his own new wizard chess set. The white mice had disappeared and Harry had a nasty feeling they were going to end up as Mrs. Norris's Christmas dinner. Harry and the Weasleys spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight on the grounds. Then, cold, wet, and gasping for breath, they returned to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, where Harry broke in his new chess set by losing spectacularly to Ron. He suspected he wouldn't have lost so badly if Percy hadn't tried to help him so much. After a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, everyone felt too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge. **

Fred and George chuckled, remembering the day very clearly.

**It had been Harry's best Christmas day ever. Yet something had been nagging at the back of his mind all day. Not until he climbed into bed was he free to think about it: the invisibility cloak and whoever had sent it. Ron, full of turkey and cake and with nothing mysterious to bother him, fell asleep almost as soon as he'd drawn the curtains of his four-poster. Harry leaned over the side of his own bed and pulled the cloak out from under it. His father's... this had been his father's. He let the material flow over his hands, smoother than silk, light as air. Use it well, the note had said.**

**He had to try it, now. He slipped out of bed and wrapped the cloak around himself. Looking down at his legs, he saw only moonlight and shadows. It was a very funny feeling.**

**Use it well. Suddenly, Harry felt wide-awake. The whole of Hogwarts was open to him**

**in this cloak. Excitement flooded through him as he stood there in the dark and silence. He could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know. Ron grunted in his sleep. Should Harry wake him? Something held him back - his father's cloak - he felt that this time - the first time – he wanted to use it alone. He crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room, and climbed through the portrait hole.**

**"Who's there?" squawked the Fat Lady.**

"You'd expect she'd be use to it by now," Remus chuckled.

**Harry said nothing. He walked quickly down the corridor. Where should he go? He stopped, his heart racing, and thought. And then it came to him.**

"The kitchens!"

"The dungeons!"

"The astronomy tower!"

**The Restricted Section in the library. **

"WHAT?" The twins yelled, definitely planning on revoking Harry's prankster status now.

**He'd be able to read as long as he liked, as long as it took to find out who Flamel was.**

"Oh, well, I mean—"

"We s'pose it's alright—"

"It is for the—"

"Greater good—"

"And stuff," George finished.

**He set off, drawing the invisibility cloak tight around him as he walked. The library was pitch-black and very eerie. Harry lit a lamp to see his way along the rows of books. The lamp looked as if it was floating along in midair, and even though Harry could feel his arm supporting it, the sight gave him the creeps.**

**The Restricted Section was right at the back of the library. Stepping carefully over the rope that separated these books from the rest of the library, he held up his lamp to read the titles. They didn't tell him much. Their peeling, faded gold letters spelled words in languages Harry couldn't understand. Some had no title at all. One book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood. **

People shivered at the description.

**The hairs on the back of Harry's neck prickled. Maybe he was imagining it, maybe not, but he thought a faint whispering was coming from the books, as though they knew someone was there who shouldn't be.**

McGonagall was shocked, and looked at Hermione to tell her to write down, unsurprised that the girl already was.

**He had to start somewhere. Setting the lamp down carefully on the floor, he looked along the bottom shelf for an interesting looking book. A large black and silver volume caught his eye. He pulled it out with difficulty, because it was very heavy, and, balancing it on his knee, let it fall open.**

"No, Harry, anyone but that one." Lily groaned.

**A piercing, bloodcurdling shriek split the silence - the book was screaming! Harry snapped it shut, but the shriek went on and on, one high, unbroken, earsplitting note. He stumbled backward and knocked over his lamp, which went out at once. Panicking, he heard footsteps coming down the corridor outside - stuffing the shrieking book back on the shelf, he ran for it. He passed Filch in the doorway; Filch's pale, wild eyes looked straight through him, and Harry slipped under Filch's outstretched arm and streaked off up the corridor, the book's shrieks still ringing in his ears.**

**He came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armor. He had been so busy getting away from the library, he hadn't paid attention to where he was going. Perhaps because it was dark, he didn't recognize where he was at all. There was a suit of armor near the kitchens, he knew, but he must be five floors above there.**

**"You asked me to come directly to you, Professor, if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the library Restricted Section." Harry felt the blood drain out of his face. Wherever he was, Filch must know a shortcut, because his soft, greasy voice was getting nearer, and to his horror, it was Snape who replied, "The Restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them."**

**Harry stood rooted to the spot as Filch and Snape came around the corner ahead. They couldn't see him, of course, but it was a narrow corridor and if they came much nearer they'd knock right into him - the cloak didn't stop him from being solid. He backed away as quietly as he could. A door stood ajar to his left. It was his only hope. He squeezed through it, holding his breath, trying not to move it, and to his relief he managed to get inside the room without their noticing anything.**

Harry tensed even more, and Sirius, having felt this, tried his best to curl his body around Harry's in protection. He could hear Harry mumbling about how he wished Sirius could be in his normal form right now, and when he felt his godson's tears coming, he knew instantly that something was wrong.

**They walked straight past, and Harry leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. That had been close, very close. It was a few seconds before he noticed anything about the room he had hidden in. It looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket - but propped against the wall facing him was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way.**

**It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.**

By this time, some people could hear Harry crying, and Hermione squeezed his hand, while Sirius licked his godson's face, trying to calm him. He could hear Harry begging him to transform from his dog. Sirius was clearly panicked, but before anything could happen, Ginny continued.

**His panic fading now that there was no sound of Filch and Snape, Harry moved nearer to the mirror, wanting to look at himself but see no reflection again. He stepped in front of it.**

**He had to clap his hands to his mouth to stop himself from screaming. **

"Why?" Many people questioned.

**He whirled around. His heart was pounding far more furiously than when the book had screamed - for he had seen not only himself in the mirror, but a whole crowd of people standing right behind him.**

Lily, having worked out what the mirror said, had a bad feeling about this.

**But the room was empty. Breathing very fast, he turned slowly back to the mirror. There he was, reflected in it, white and scared-looking, and there, reflected behind him, were at least ten others. Harry looked over his shoulder - but still, no one was there. Or were they all invisible, too? Was he in fact in a room full of invisible people and this mirror's trick was that it reflected them, invisible or not?**

**He looked in the mirror again. A woman standing right behind his reflection was smiling at him and waving. He reached out a hand and felt the air behind him. If she was really there, he'd touch her, their reflections were so close together, but he felt only air - she and the**

**others existed only in the mirror. She was a very pretty woman. She had dark red hair and her eyes – her eyes are just like mine, Harry thought, edging a little closer to the glass. Bright green - exactly the same shape, but then he noticed that she was crying; smiling, but crying at the same time. The tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was very untidy. It stuck up at the back, just as Harry's did. Harry was so close to the mirror now that his nose was nearly touching**

**that of his reflection.**

**"Mom?" he whispered. "Dad?" They just looked at him, smiling. **

James and Lily were holding one another, Lily crying into James' shoulder, who could only hug his wife and rub her shoulders gently. Snape paled, but tried to ignore his emotions, while Albus looked down, not wanting to remember the look on Harry's face that day. Minerva had tears in her eyes while Hagrid was trying his best not to cry himself.

Ginny had stopped reading, and had tried to grab Harry's hand in support, surprised to find that Hermione's hand was already there. She glared, surprised that Hermione was looking at her in confusion, but in her mind she was watching Harry closely.

Remus, was crying, rubbing Harry's back and trying to whisper soothing things into Harry's ear, but he knew that the only way Harry could be fine was if Sirius was truly there for his godson.

Sirius knew that he'd need to comfort Harry the best way he could, and with one look at Remus, knew instantly what was going to happen.

**And slowly, Harry looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror, and saw other pairs of green eyes like his, other noses like his, even a little old man who looked as though he had Harry's knobbly knees - Harry was looking at his family, for the first time in his life. The Potters smiled and waved at Harry and he stared hungrily back at them, his hands pressed flat against the glass as though he was hoping to fall right through it and reach them. He had a powerful kind of ache inside him, half joy, half terrible sadness. How long he stood there, he didn't know. The reflections did not fade and he looked and looked until a distant noise brought him back to his senses. He couldn't stay here, he had to find his way back to bed. He tore his eyes away from his mother's face, whispered, "I'll come back," and hurried from the room.**

**"You could have woken me up," said Ron, crossly.**

**"You can come tonight, I'm going back, I want to show you the mirror.**

**"I'd like to see your mom and dad," Ron said eagerly.**

**"And I want to see all your family, all the Weasleys, you'll be able to show me your other brothers and everyone."**

**"You can see them any old time," said Ron. "Just come round my house this summer. Anyway, maybe it only shows dead people. Shame about not finding Flamel, though. Have some bacon or something, why aren't you eating anything?" Harry couldn't eat. He had seen his parents and would be seeing them again tonight. He had almost forgotten about Flamel. It didn't seem very important anymore. Who cared what the three headed dog was guarding? What did it matter if Snape stole it, really?**

"Oh, Harry," Lily mumbled, still crying into James' shoulder.

**"Are you all right?" said Ron. "You look odd." What Harry feared most was that he might not be able to find the mirror room again. With Ron covered in the cloak, too, they had to walk much more slowly the next night. They tried retracing Harry's route from the **

**library, wandering around the dark passageways for nearly an hour.**

**"I'm freezing," said Ron. "Let's forget it and go back."**

**"No!" Harry hissed. "I know it's here somewhere." They passed the ghost of a tall witch gliding in the opposite direction, but saw no one else. just as Ron started moaning that his feet were dead with cold, Harry spotted the suit of armor.**

**"It's here - just here - yes!" They pushed the door open. Harry dropped the cloak from around his shoulders and ran to the mirror. There they were. His mother and father beamed at the sight of him.**

**"See?" Harry whispered.**

**"I can't see anything."**

**"Look! Look at them all... there are loads of them..."**

**"I can only see you."**

**"Look in it properly, go on, stand where I am." Harry stepped aside, but with Ron in front of the mirror, he couldn't see his family anymore, just Ron in his paisley pajamas. Ron, though, was staring transfixed at his image.**

**"Look at me!" he said.**

**"Can you see all your family standing around you?"**

**"No - I'm alone - but I'm different - I look older - and I'm head boy!"**

"What?" Most of the Weasley's interrupted, Ginny included, surprised.

**"What?"**

**"I am - I'm wearing the badge like Bill used to - and I'm holding the house cup and the Quidditch cup - I'm Quidditch captain, too." Ron tore his eyes away from this splendid sight to look excitedly at Harry.**

**"Do you think this mirror shows the future?"**

**"How can it? All my family are dead - let me have another look -"**

Lily sobbed at this and Hermione let a few tears go down her cheeks.

**"You had it to yourself all last night, give me a bit more time."**

**"You're only holding the Quidditch cup, what's interesting about that? I want to see my parents."**

"Guys, don't fight," Tonks groaned, the Hufflepuff in her coming out. Her hair was black, straight and edged, and in a way, she seemed to be mourning.

**"Don't push me -" A sudden noise outside in the corridor put an end to their discussion.**

**They hadn't realized how loudly they had been talking.**

**"Quick!" Ron threw the cloak back over them as the luminous eyes of Mrs. Norris**

**came round the door. Ron and Harry stood quite still, both thinking the same thing - did the cloak work on cats? After what seemed an age, she turned and left.**

**"This isn't safe - she might have gone for Filch, I bet she heard us. Come on." And Ron pulled Harry out of the room. The snow still hadn't melted the next morning.**

**"Want to play chess, Harry?" said Ron.**

**"No."**

**"Why don't we go down and visit Hagrid?"**

**"No... you go..."**

**"I know what you're thinking about, Harry, that mirror. Don't go back tonight."**

**"Why not?"**

**"I dunno, I've just got a bad feeling about it - and anyway, you've had too many close shaves already. Filch, Snape, and Mrs. Norris are wandering around. So what if they can't see you? What if they walk into you? What if you knock something over?"**

**"You sound like Hermione."**

Hermione chuckled lightly, her heart not in it, feeling for her best friend. She squeezed Harry's hand, surprised to feel him squeeze back, but not so much that she could still hear some sobs coming from him.

**"I'm serious, Harry, don't go." But Harry only had one thought in his head, which was to get back in front of the mirror, and Ron wasn't going to stop him. That third night he found his way more quickly than before. He was walking so fast he knew he was making more noise than was wise, but he didn't meet anyone. And there were his mother and father smiling at him again, and one of his grandfathers nodding happily. Harry sank down to sit on the floor in front of the mirror. There was nothing to stop him from staying here all night with his family. Nothing at all. Except –**

**"So - back again, Harry?" Harry felt as though his insides had turned to ice. He looked behind him. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore. Harry must have walked straight past him, so desperate to get to the mirror he hadn't noticed him.**

**" - I didn't see you, sir."**

**"Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you," said Dumbledore, and Harry was relieved to see that he was smiling.**

James snorted, not able to help himself from agreeing to that statement.

**"So," said Dumbledore, slipping off the desk to sit on the floor with Harry, "you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."**

**"I didn't know it was called that, Sir."**

**"But I expect you've realized by now what it does?"**

**"It - well - it shows me my family -"**

**"And it showed your friend Ron himself as head boy."**

**"How did you know -?"**

**"I don't need a cloak to become invisible," said Dumbledore gently.**

**"Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?" Harry shook his head.**

**"Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?" Harry thought. Then he said slowly, "It shows us what we want... whatever we want..."**

**"Yes and no," said Dumbledore quietly. "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them. However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible.**

**"The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?"**

**Harry stood up. "Sir - Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?"**

**"Obviously, you've just done so," Dumbledore smiled. "You may ask me one more thing, however."**

**"What do you see when you look in the mirror?"**

"Harry James, that's personal!" Lily said, a stern volume coming from her, causing many to chuckle somewhat.

**"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks." Harry stared.**

**"One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books." It was only when he was back in bed that it struck Harry that Dumbledore might not have been quite truthful. But then, he thought, as he shoved Scabbers off his pillow, it had been quite a personal question.**

After Ginny stopped reading, everyone stared at Harry, who was still crying. Remus, who knew what Harry needed, looked up at Dumbledore and everyone in front of him, with a calm, deadly voice.

"Snuffles and myself will be going to take Harry somewhere so we can talk and help Harry through this. No one bug us, follow us, or anything else." And suddenly, they were gone, and Dobby was in their place, looking around.

James and Lily, who could do nothing, left to their own spot for a while, so they can sort through their own emotions

Remus, Harry and Snuffles appeared in the room of requirement, and Remus patted Snuffles, to tell him it was okay for him to transform, and Sirius did so immediately, while Remus left the room to give the two privacy.

"Harry, it's alright," Sirius stated, wrapping his arms around his godson, who immediately bounded into them, sobbing loudly, needing the comfort.

Sirius rubbed his godson's back, rocking Harry back and forth like he use to do when Harry was a baby. After a while, Harry's cries stopped, and Sirius stopped rocking.

"I-" Harry hiccoughed, wiping his cheeks.

"It's perfectly fine, kiddo." Sirius whispered, kissing the top of Harry's head. He could feel Harry nod his head and after a few minutes, heard him spoke.

"I hate everyone hearing my thoughts, hate that I have to wait for the third book for you to not be a dog, hate that I can't let my parents hold me—" Harry stopped, trying not to make himself cry again.

"And I hate that you feel that way, pup. I hate that there's nothing we can do, and that I can't hold you when I hear about what you went through." Sirius mumbled, clutching on to Harry, who clutched back.

It was a near forty-five minutes later that they arrived back at the Great Hall, as Snuffles and Harry, Remus having already returned. Once they sat down, Hermione squeezed Harry's hand and hugged him, Ron patted his back and the twins smiled lightly. Harry smiled back at them all, before looking toward Ginny.

"Who's going to read next?"

"Uhm, Neville is." Ginny replied, while Harry nodded his head and watched Neville take the book, clear his throat and open it to the correct placed page.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: **Aha, thank you all for those who have reviewed. I'm positive I've responded to everyone who has (unless you've reviewed as a guest, in which case... I haven't) and if I haven't, and you were logged in, I'm terribly sorry, just let me know in another review, or a PM. I didn't plan on posting anything this weekend, but after many people asked for it, I had finished writing/typing the first book, I decided I'd do so tonight.

I'm doing it now though because my mom (whose computer I use to post), is actually at a barbeque party across the street, so I'm doing so now. -shrugs-. I hope you enjoy all of this. There'll be another AN at the end of chapter 18, so go there and read it when you're done.

* * *

"**CHAPTER THIRTEEN, NICOLAS FLAMEL" **Neville started, while many people oohed and ahed over the possibility of finding out who the mysterious man is.

**Dumbledore had convinced Harry not to go looking for the Mirror of Erised again, and for the rest of the Christmas holidays the invisibility cloak stayed folded at the bottom of his trunk. **

James pouted a little, but understood perfectly fine, and played with Lily's hair to make her feel more better than before.

**Harry wished he could forget what he'd seen in the mirror as easily, but he couldn't. He started having nightmares. Over and over again he dreamed about his parents disappearing in a flash of green light, while a high voice cackled with laughter.**

"You—" Neville interrupted himself, surprised. Harry, whose eyes were red, nodded, before continuing to stroke Snuffles' fur.

**"You see, Dumbledore was right, that mirror could drive you mad," said Ron, when Harry told him about these dreams. **

**Hermione, who came back the day before term started, took a different view of things. She was torn between horror at the idea of Harry being out of bed, roaming the school three nights in a row ("If Filch had caught you!"), and disappointment that he hadn't at least found out who Nicolas Flamel was.**

**They had almost given up hope of ever finding Flamel in a library book, even though Harry was still sure he'd read the name somewhere. Once term had started, they were back to skimming through books for ten minutes during their breaks. Harry had even less time than the other two, because Quidditch practice had started again. Wood was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits. The Weasleys complained that Wood was becoming a fanatic, but Harry was on Wood's side. If they won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Slytherin in the house championship for the first time in seven years. Quite apart from wanting to win, Harry found that he had fewer nightmares when he was tired out after training. **

**Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Wood gave the team a bit of bad news. He'd just gotten very angry with the Weasleys, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms.**

**"Will you stop messing around!" he yelled. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!" George Weasley really did fall off his broom at these words.**

Many people laughed at the words, and George, wanting to cheer Harry up at least a little, purposefully fell off the Hogwarts bench.

**"Snape's refereeing?" he spluttered through a mouthful of mud. "When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin." The rest of the team landed next to George to complain, too.**

**"It's not my fault," said Wood. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us." Which was all very well, thought Harry, but he had another reason for not wanting Snape near him while he was playing Quidditch...**

**The rest of the team hung back to talk to one another as usual at the end of practice, but Harry headed straight back to the Gryffindor common room, where he found Ron and Hermione playing chess. Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something Harry and Ron thought was very good for her.**

**"Don't talk to me for a moment," said Ron when Harry sat down next to him, "I need to concen -" He caught sight of Harry's face. "What's the matter with you? You look terrible."**

**Speaking quietly so that no one else would hear, Harry told the other two about Snape's sudden, sinister desire to be a Quidditch referee.**

**"Don't play," said Hermione at once.**

**"Say you're ill," said Ron.**

**"Pretend to break your leg," Hermione suggested.**

**"Really break your leg," said Ron.**

James snorted, shaking his head as Lily laughed.

**"I can't," said Harry. "There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at all." At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor tower. **

"I did," Neville said, his voice full of anger.

**Everyone fell over laughing except Hermione, who leapt up and performed the countercurse. Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling. **

**"What happened?" Hermione asked him, leading him over to sit with Harry and Ron.**

**"Malfoy," said Neville shakily. "I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."**

Narcissa looked at her son, not happy with the way he'd been acting so far. Lucius however, was grinning with pride.

**"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!" Neville shook his head.**

**"I don't want more trouble," he mumbled.**

**"You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier."**

**"There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that," Neville choked out. Harry felt in the pocket of his robes and pulled out a Chocolate Frog, the very last one from the box Hermione had given him for Christmas. He**

**gave it to Neville, who looked as though he might cry.**

**"You're worth twelve of Malfoy," Harry said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin." Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog.**

**"Thanks, Harry... I think I'll go to bed... D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?"**

"Really Harry, thanks so much for that."

"It's no problem, Nev." Harry mumbled, not feeling up to talking at this point.

**As Neville walked away, Harry looked at the Famous Wizard card.**

**"Dumbledore again," he said, "He was the first one I ever-" He gasped. He stared at the back of the card. Then he looked up at Ron and Hermione.**

"Well freaking finally. I was worried you'd gotten your father's brains!" Lily said. James had started laughing before suddenly stopping.

"OY!" He said loudly, everyone laughing at him and Harry smiling lightly.

**"I've found him!" he whispered. "I've found Flamel! I told you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here – listen to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'!"**

**Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd gotten back the marks for their very first piece of homework. **

Hermione blushed and ducked her head and Lily laughed as the girl reminded her so much of herself.

**"Stay there!" she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Harry and Ron barely had time to exchange mystified looks before she was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms. **

**"I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."**

"Light reading?" James asked, his eyes wide as Lily clapped her hands.

"Perfect girl. I knew you'd have it near you!" Hermione blushed once more at hearing appraisal from Harry's mom.

**"Light?" said Ron, but Hermione told him to be quiet until she'd looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to herself. At last she found what she was looking for.**

**"I knew it! I knew it!"**

**"Are we allowed to speak yet?" said Ron grumpily. Hermione ignored him.**

**"Nicolas Flamel," she whispered dramatically, "is the only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone!" This didn't have quite the effect she'd expected.**

**"The what?" said Harry and Ron.**

**"Oh, honestly, don't you two read? Look - read that, there." She pushed the book toward them, and Harry and Ron read: The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Sorcerer's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal. There have been many reports of the Sorcerer's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight).**

**"See?" said Hermione, when Harry and Ron had finished. "The dog must be guarding Flamel's Sorcerer's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!"**

**"A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying!" said Harry. "No wonder Snape's after it! Anyone would want it."**

**"And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry," said Ron. "He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?" **

**The next morning in Defense Against the Dark Arts, while copying down different ways of treating werewolf bites, Harry and Ron were still discussing what they'd do with a Sorcerer's Stone if they had one. It wasn't until Ron said he'd buy his own Quidditch team that Harry remembered about Snape and the coming match.**

**"I'm going to play," he told Ron and Hermione. "If I don't, all the Slytherins will think I'm just too scared to face Snape. I'll show them... it'll really wipe the smiles off their faces if we win."**

**"Just as long as we're not wiping you off the field," said Hermione. **

Hermione grimaced, realizing how bad that sounded.

**As the match drew nearer, however, Harry became more and more nervous, whatever he told Ron and Hermione. The rest of the team wasn't too calm, either. The idea of overtaking Slytherin in the house championship was wonderful, no one had done it for seven years, but would they be allowed to, with such a biased referee? Harry didn't know whether he was imagining it or not, but he seemed to keep running into Snape wherever he went. At times, he even wondered whether Snape was following him, trying to catch him on his own. Potions lessons were turning into a sort of weekly torture, Snape was so horrible to Harry. Could Snape possibly know they'd found out about the Sorcerer's Stone? Harry didn't see how he could - yet he sometimes had the horrible feeling that Snape could read minds.**

Sirius, James and even Lily were all heard growling (Remus was only glaring) at this line.

"I swear to Merlin, Severus, if you're practicing legillimens on my son," James growled, his wand shooting red sparks as he clenched it in his hands. Snape was taken back at the tone in Potter's voice but simply sniffed and looked away.

**Harry knew, when they wished him good luck outside the locker rooms the next afternoon, that Ron and Hermione were wondering whether they'd ever see him alive again. This wasn't what you'd call comforting. **

Ron grimaced, "Sorry mate."

**Harry hardly heard a word of Wood's pep talk as he pulled on his Quidditch robes and picked up his Nimbus Two Thousand. Ron and Hermione, meanwhile, had found a place in the stands next to Neville, who couldn't understand why they looked so grim and worried, or why they had both brought their wands to the match. Little did Harry know that Ron and Hermione had been secretly practicing the Leg-Locker Curse. They'd gotten the idea from Malfoy using it on Neville, and were ready to use it on Snape if he showed any sign of wanting to hurt Harry.**

**"Now, don't forget, its Locomotor Mortis," Hermione muttered as Ron slipped his wand up his sleeve.**

**"I know," Ron snapped. "Don't nag." Back in the locker room, Wood had taken Harry aside.**

**"Don't want to pressure you, Potter, but if we ever need an early capture of the Snitch it's now. Finish the game before Snape can favor Hufflepuff too much."**

"Oh yeah, no pressure at all," James said while rolling his eyes.

**"The whole school's out there!" said Fred Weasley, peering out of the door. "Even - blimey - Dumbledore's come to watch!" Harry's heart did a somersault.**

**"Dumbledore?" he said, dashing to the door to make sure. Fred was right. There was no mistaking that silver beard. Harry could have laughed out loud with relief. He was safe. There was simply no way that Snape would dare to try to hurt him if Dumbledore was**

**watching. Perhaps that was why Snape was looking so angry as the teams marched onto the field, something that Ron noticed, too.**

**"I've never seen Snape look so mean," he told Hermione. "Look -they're off. Ouch!"**

**Someone had poked Ron in the back of the head. It was Malfoy.**

**"Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn't see you there." Malfoy grinned broadly at Crabbe and Goyle.**

**"Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on his broom this time? Anyone want a bet? What about you, Weasley?" Ron didn't answer; Snape had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George Weasley had hit a Bludger at him. Hermione, who had all her**

**fingers crossed in her lap, was squinting fixedly at Harry, who was circling the game like a hawk, looking for the Snitch.**

**"You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" said Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all. "It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents, then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money - you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no**

**brains." Neville went bright red but turned in his seat to face Malfoy.**

"Draco!" Narcissa snapped, turning to her son with a glare, "Maybe I should be teaching you the manners you must act in when according to your family again?" She finished, while many people snorted at Malfoy's pale look.

**"I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy," he stammered. **

The real Neville said this more confidently, with many people grinning while James shouted out, "You tell 'em, Neville!"

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle howled with laughter, but Ron, still not daring to take his eyes from the game, said, "You tell him, Neville."**

**"Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something." Ron's nerves were already stretched to the breaking point with anxiety**

**about Harry.**

**"I'm warning you, Malfoy - one more word"**

**"Ron!" said Hermione suddenly, "Harry -"**

**"What? Where?" Harry had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and**

**cheers from the crowd. Hermione stood up, her crossed fingers in her mouth, as Harry streaked toward the ground like a bullet.**

"Why in bloody hell were they in your mouth?" Someone asked and Hermione only shrugged, unsure of that herself.

**"You're in luck, Weasley, Potter's obviously spotted some money on the ground!" said Malfoy. Ron snapped. Before Malfoy knew what was happening, Ron was on top of**

**him, wrestling him to the ground. Neville hesitated, then clambered over the back of his seat to help.**

**"Come on, Harry!" Hermione screamed, leaping onto her seat to watch as Harry sped straight at Snape - she didn't even notice Malfoy and Ron rolling around under her seat, or the scuffles and yelps coming from the whirl of fists that was Neville, Crabbe, and Goyle.**

**Up in the air, Snape turned on his broomstick just in time to see something scarlet shoot past him, missing him by inches - the next second, Harry had pulled out of the dive, his arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in his hand.**

**The stands erupted; it had to be a record, no one could ever remember the Snitch being caught so quickly.**

**"Ron! Ron! Where are you? The game's over! Harry's won! We've won! Gryffindor is in the lead!" shrieked Hermione, dancing up and down on her seat and hugging Parvati Patil in the row in front. Harry jumped off his broom, a foot from the ground. He couldn't believe it. He'd done it - the game was over; it had barely lasted five minutes.**

"That is a record," James whistled, clearly impressed.

**As Gryffindors came spilling onto the field, he saw Snape land nearby, white-faced and tight-lipped - then Harry felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into Dumbledore's smiling face.**

**"Well done," said Dumbledore quietly, so that only Harry could hear.**

**"Nice to see you haven't been brooding about that mirror... been keeping busy... excellent..." Snape spat bitterly on the ground. Harry left the locker room alone some time later, to take his Nimbus Two Thousand back to the broomshed. He couldn't ever remember feeling happier. He'd really done something to be proud of now - no one could**

**say he was just a famous name any more. The evening air had never smelled so sweet. He walked over the damp grass, reliving the last hour in his head, which was a happy blur: Gryffindors running to lift him onto their shoulders; Ron and Hermione in the distance, jumping up and down, Ron cheering through a heavy nosebleed.**

**Harry had reached the shed. He leaned against the wooden door and looked up at Hogwarts, with its windows glowing red in the setting sun. Gryffindor in the lead. He'd done it, he'd shown Snape... **

**And speaking of Snape...**

**A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle. Clearly not wanting to be seen, it walked as fast as possible toward the forbidden forest. Harry's victory faded from his mind as he watched. He recognized the figure's prowling walk. Snape, sneaking into the forest while everyone else was at dinner - what was going on? Harry jumped back on his Nimbus Two Thousand and took off. Gliding silently over the castle he saw Snape enter the forest at a run. He followed.**

**The trees were so thick he couldn't see where Snape had gone. He flew in circles, lower and lower, brushing the top branches of trees until he heard voices. He glided toward them and landed noiselessly in a towering beech tree. He climbed carefully along one of the branches, holding tight to his broomstick, trying to see through the leaves. Below, in a shadowy**

**clearing, stood Snape, but he wasn't alone. Quirrell was there, too. Harry couldn't make out the look on his face, but he was stuttering worse than ever. Harry strained to catch what they were saying. **

**"... d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus..."**

**"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," said Snape, his voice icy.**

**"Students aren't supposed to know about the Sorcerer's Stone, after all." Harry leaned forward. Quirrell was mumbling something. Snape interrupted him.**

**"Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?"**

**"B-b-but Severus, I -"**

**"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," said Snape, taking a step toward him.**

**"I-I don't know what you-"**

**"You know perfectly well what I mean." An owl hooted loudly, and Harry nearly fell out of the tree. He steadied himself in time to hear Snape say, "- your little bit of hocus-pocus.**

**I'm waiting."**

**"B-but I d-d-don't -"**

**"Very well," Snape cut in. "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie." He threw his cloak over his head and strode out of the clearing. It was almost dark now, but Harry could see Quirrell, standing quite still as though he was petrified.**

**"Harry, where have you been?" Hermione squeaked.**

**"We won! You won! We won!" shouted Ron, thumping Harry on the back. "And I gave Malfoy a black eye, and Neville tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle single-handed! He's still out cold but Madam Pomfrey says he'll be all right - talk about showing Slytherin! Everyone's waiting for you in the common room, we're having a party, Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff from the kitchens."**

**"Never mind that now," said Harry breathlessly. "Let's find an empty room, you wait 'til you hear this..." He made sure Peeves wasn't inside before shutting the door behind them,**

**then he told them what he'd seen and heard.**

**"So we were right, it is the Sorcerer's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy - and he said something about Quirrell's 'hocus pocuss- I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell that Snape needs to break through -"**

**"So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" said Hermione in alarm.**

**"It'll be gone by next Tuesday," said Ron.**

Many people grimaced before Neville asked who wanted to read next.

"I think I will, Neville." Bill Weasley said, while taking the book gently.


	15. Chapter 15

"**CHAPTER FOURTEEN, NORBERT THE NORWEGIAN RIDGEBACK" **Bill started, stopping when Charlie suddenly laughed. Shaking his head, Charlie did some hand movements that let Bill know it was alright to continue.

**Quirrell, however, must have been braver than they'd thought. In the weeks that followed he did seem to be getting paler and thinner, but it didn't look as though he'd cracked yet.**

**Every time they passed the third-floor corridor, Harry, Ron, and Hermione would press their ears to the door to check that Fluffy was still growling inside. Snape was sweeping about in his usual bad temper, which surely meant that the Stone was still safe. Whenever Harry passed Quirrell these days he gave him an encouraging sort of smile, and Ron**

**had started telling people off for laughing at Quirrell's stutter.**

"Wish we hadn't," Harry mumbled, with Sirius and Remus looking at him in confusion.

**Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Sorcerer's Stone. She had started drawing up study schedules and color coding all her notes. Harry and Ron wouldn't have minded, but she kept nagging them to do the same.**

**"Hermione, the exams are ages away."**

"Hmm, probably around ten weeks. Not really ages, kiddos." Lily said, pausing for a second to think about it.

**"Ten weeks," Hermione snapped. "That's not ages, that's like a second to Nicolas Flamel."**

Lily smiled while James grinned at her.

**"But we're not six hundred years old," Ron reminded her. "Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it A."**

**"What am I studying for? Are you crazy? You realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They're very important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know what's gotten into me..."**

James laughed at Lily, whispering how just like her Hermione was. Lily blushed, smiling even more.

**Unfortunately, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Hermione. They piled so much homework on them that the Easter holidays weren't nearly as much fun as the Christmas ones. It was hard to relax with Hermione next to you reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood or practicing wand movements. Moaning and yawning, Harry and Ron spent most of their free time in the library with her, trying to get through all their extra work.**

**"I'll never remember this," Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window. It was the first really fine day they'd had in months. The sky was a clear, forget-me-not blue, and there was a feeling in the air of summer coming. Harry, who was looking up "Dittany" in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, didn't look up until he heard Ron say, "Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?" Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked**

**very out of place in his moleskin overcoat.**

**"Jus' lookin'," he said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once. "An' what're you lot up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?" **

**"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," said Ron impressively. "And we know what that dog's guarding, it's a Sorcerer's St -"**

**"Shhhh!" Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening.**

**"Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?" **

**"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," said Harry, "about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy -"**

**"SHHHH!" said Hagrid again. "Listen - come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh -"**

**"See you later, then," said Harry. Hagrid shuffled off.**

**"What was he hiding behind his back?" said Hermione thoughtfully.**

**"Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?"**

**"I'm going to see what section he was in," said Ron, who'd had enough of working. He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table.**

**"Dragons!" he whispered. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide."**

**"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him, " said Harry.**

"Oh Hagrid, no." Minerva moaned, putting her head in her hands.

**"But it's against our laws," said Ron. "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709, everyone knows that. It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden - anyway, you can't tame dragons, it's dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania."**

**"But there aren't wild dragons in Britain?" said Harry.**

**"Of course there are," said Ron. "Common Welsh Green and Hebridean Blacks. The Ministry of Magic has a job hushing them up, I can tell you. Our kind have to keep putting spells on Muggles who've spotted them, to make them forget."**

**"So what on earths Hagrid up to?" said Hermione. When they knocked on the door of the gamekeeper's hut an hour later, they were surprised to see that all the curtains were closed. Hagrid called "Who is it?" before he let them in, and then shut the door quickly behind them. It was stifling hot inside. Even though it was such a warm day, there was a blazing fire in the grate. Hagrid made them tea and offered them stoat sandwiches, which they refused.**

**"So - yeh wanted to ask me somethin'?"**

**"Yes," said Harry. There was no point beating around the bush. "We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Sorcerer's Stone apart from Fluffy." Hagrid frowned at him.**

**"0' course I can't," he said. "Number one, I don' know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn' tell yeh if I could. That Stone's here fer a good reason. It Was almost stolen outta Gringotts – I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all? Beats me how yeh even know abou' Fluffy."**

**"Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on round here," said Hermione in a warm, flattering voice. Hagrid's beard twitched and they could tell he was smiling. "We only wondered who had done the guarding, really." Hermione went on. "We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you." **

"Oh, atta girl," James laughed, slapping his thigh in amusement as he grinned at his sons best friend, who only just blushed.

**Hagrid's chest swelled at these last words. Harry and Ron beamed at Hermione.**

**"Well, I don' s'pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that... let's see... he borrowed Fluffy from me... then some o' the teachers did enchantments... Professor Sprout - Professor Flitwick - Professor McGonagall -" he ticked them off on his fingers, "Professor Quirrell - an' Dumbledore himself did somethin', o' course. Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh**

**yeah, Professor Snape." **

**"Snape?"**

**"Yeah - yer not still on abou' that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped protect the Stone, he's not about ter steal it." Harry knew Ron and Hermione were thinking the same as he was. If Snape had been in on protecting the Stone, it must have been easy to find out how the other teachers had guarded it. He probably knew everything - except, it seemed, Quirrell's spell and how to get past Fluffy.**

**"You're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy aren't you, Hagrid?" said Harry anxiously. "And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?"**

**"Not a soul knows except me an' Dumbledore," said Hagrid proudly.**

**"Well, that's something," Harry muttered to the others. "Hagrid, can we have a window open? I'm boiling."**

**"Can't, Harry, sorry," said Hagrid. Harry noticed him glance at the fire. Harry looked at it, too.**

**"Hagrid - what's that?" But he already knew what it was. In the very heart of the fire,**

**underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg.**

"Oh, Hagrid," Lily said this time, shaking her head.

**"Ah," said Hagrid, fiddling nervously with his beard, "That's er..."**

**"Where did you get it, Hagrid?" said Ron, crouching over the fire to get a closer look at the egg. "It must've cost you a fortune."**

**"Won it," said Hagrid. "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."**

**"But what are you going to do with it when it's hatched?" said Hermione.**

**"Well, I've bin doin' some readin' , said Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this outta the library - Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit - it's a bit outta date, o' course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on I em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with**

**chicken blood every half hour. An' see here - how ter recognize diff'rent eggs - what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them." He looked very pleased with himself, but Hermione didn't.**

Many people grimaced, worried for the trio at this point.

**"Hagrid, you live in a wooden house," she said. But Hagrid wasn't listening. He was humming merrily as he stoked the fire. So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut.**

**"Wonder what it's like to have a peaceful life," Ron sighed, as evening after evening they struggled through all the extra homework they were getting. **

Harry, who was somewhat feeling better, snorted at this statement. Man, the three of them were innocent back then, definitely.

**Hermione had now started making study schedules for Harry and Ron, too. It was driving them nuts. **

"I did that too Hermione," Lily said smiling at the girl.

**Then, one breakfast time, Hedwig brought Harry another note from Hagrid. He had written only two words: It's hatching. Ron wanted to skip Herbology and go straight down to the hut. Hermione wouldn't hear of it.**

**"Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?"**

**"We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing -"**

**"Shut up!" Harry whispered. Malfoy was only a few feet away and he had stopped dead to listen. How much had he heard? Harry didn't like the look on Malfoy's face at all. Ron and Hermione argued all the way to Herbology and in the end, Hermione agreed to run down to Hagrid's with the other two during morning break. When the bell sounded from the castle at the end of their lesson, the three of them dropped their trowels at once and hurried through the grounds to the edge of the forest. Hagrid greeted them, looking flushed and excited.**

**"It's nearly out." He ushered them inside. The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it. They all drew their chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath. All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; Harry thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes. It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout.**

**"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid murmured. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs.**

**"Bless him, look, he knows his mommy!" said Hagrid.**

**"Hagrid," said Hermione, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?" Hagrid was about to answer when the color suddenly drained from his face - he leapt to his feet and ran to the window.**

"Oh dear," James said, wanting to glare at the Malfoy boy but deciding not to.

**"What's the matter?"**

**"Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains - it's a kid - he's runnin' back up ter the school." Harry bolted to the door and looked out. Even at a distance there was no**

**mistaking him. Malfoy had seen the dragon. Something about the smile lurking on Malfoy's face during the next week made Harry, Ron, and Hermione very nervous. They spent most of their free time in Hagrid's darkened hut, trying to reason with him.**

**"Just let him go," Harry urged. "Set him free."**

**"I can't," said Hagrid. "He's too little. He'd die." They looked at the dragon. It had grown three times in length in just a week. Smoke kept furling out of its nostrils. Hagrid hadn't been doing his gamekeeping duties because the dragon was keeping him so busy. There**

**were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor.**

**"I've decided to call him Norbert," said Hagrid, looking at the dragon with misty eyes. "He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mommy?"**

**"He's lost his marbles," Ron muttered in Harry's ear.**

**"Hagrid," said Harry loudly, "give it two weeks and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment." Hagrid bit his lip.**

**"I - I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' dump him, I can't." Harry suddenly turned to Ron. **

"**Charlie," he said.**

**"You're losing it, too," said Ron. "I'm Ron, remember?"**

Charlie snorted, interrupting Bill, who understood and shook his head.

**"No - Charlie - your brother, Charlie. In Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back in the wild!"**

"Brilliant!" James said, grinning from ear to ear.

**"Brilliant!" said Ron. "How about it, Hagrid?" And in the end, Hagrid agreed that they could send an owl to Charlie to ask him. The following week dragged by. Wednesday night found Hermione and Harry sitting alone in the common room, **

"K-I-SS-I-N-G," Fred and George sang, many people snickering while the two teenagers blushed and looked down.

- **long after everyone else had gone to bed. The clock on the wall had just chimed midnight when the portrait hole burst open. Ron appeared out of nowhere as he pulled off Harry's invisibility cloak. He had been down at Hagrid's hut, helping him feed Norbert, who was now eating dead rats by the crate.**

**"It bit me!" he said, showing them his hand, which was wrapped in a bloody handkerchief. "I'm not going to be able to hold a quill for a week. I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when**

**I left, he was singing it a lullaby." There was a tap on the dark window.**

**"It's Hedwig!" said Harry, hurrying to let her in. "She'll have Charlie's answer!" The three of them put their heads together to read the note.**

**Dear Ron,**

**How are you? Thanks for the letter - I'd be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won't be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week. Trouble is, they mustn't be seen carrying an illegal dragon. Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on**

**Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away while it's still dark. Send me an answer as soon as possible.**

**Love,**

**Charlie**

**They looked at one another.**

**"We've got the invisibility cloak," said Harry. "It shouldn't be too difficult - I think the cloaks big enough to cover two of us and Norbert." **

"Potter!' McGonagall sighed, suddenly remembering the week this was, while Harry shrugged and grin sheepishly.

**It was a mark of how bad the last week had been that the other two agreed with him. Anything to get rid of Norbert - and Malfoy. There was a hitch. By the next morning, Ron's bitten hand had swollen to twice its usual size. He didn't know whether it was safe to go to Madam Pomfrey - would she recognize a dragon bite? By the afternoon, though, he had no choice. The cut had turned a nasty shade of green. It looked as if Norbert's fangs were poisonous. Harry and Hermione rushed up to the hospital wing at the end of the day to find Ron in a terrible state in bed.**

**"It's not just my hand," he whispered, "although that feels like it's about to fall off. Malfoy told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books so he could come and have a good laugh at me. He kept threatening to tell her what really bit me - I've told her it was a**

**dog, but I don't think she believes me -I shouldn't have hit him at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this." Harry and Hermione tried to calm Ron down.**

**"It'll all be over at midnight on Saturday," said Hermione, but this didn't soothe Ron at all. On the contrary, he sat bolt upright and broke into a sweat.**

**"Midnight on Saturday!" he said in a hoarse voice. "Oh no oh no - I've just remembered - Charlie's letter was in that book Malfoy took, he's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert." Harry and Hermione didn't get a chance to answer. Madam Pomfrey came**

**over at that moment and made them leave, saying Ron needed sleep.**

**"It's too late to change the plan now," Harry told Hermione. "We haven't got time to send Charlie another owl, and this could be our only chance to get rid of Norbert. We'll have to risk it. And we have got the invisibility cloak, Malfoy doesn't know about that." They found Fang, the boarhound, sitting outside with a bandaged tail when they went to tell Hagrid, who opened a window to talk to them. **

**"I won't let you in," he puffed. "Norbert's at a tricky stage - nothin' I can't handle." When they told him about Charlie's letter, his eyes filled with tears, although that might have been because Norbert had just bitten him on the leg.**

**"Aargh! It's all right, he only got my boot - jus' playin' - he's only a baby, after all." The baby banged its tail on the wall, making the windows rattle. Harry and Hermione walked back to the castle feeling Saturday couldn't come quickly enough. They would have felt sorry for Hagrid when the time came for him to say good-bye to Norbert if they hadn't been so worried about what they had to do. It was a very dark, cloudy night, and they were a bit late arriving at Hagrid's hut because they'd had to wait for Peeves to get out of their way in the entrance hall, where he'd been playing tennis against the wall. Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready in a large crate.**

**"He's got lots o' rats an' some brandy fer the journey," said Hagrid in a muffled voice. "An' I've packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely." From inside the crate came ripping noises that sounded to Harry as though the teddy was having his head torn off.**

**"Bye-bye, Norbert!" Hagrid sobbed, as Harry and Hermione covered the crate with the invisibility cloak and stepped underneath it themselves.**

**"Mommy will never forget you!" How they managed to get the crate back up to the castle, they never knew. Midnight ticked nearer as they heaved Norbert up the marble staircase in the entrance hall and along the dark corridors. UP another staircase, then another - even one of Harry's shortcuts didn't make the work much easier.**

"You found more shortcuts?" The twins, James and Remus asked, as Harry grinned and shrugged.

**"Nearly there!" Harry panted as they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower. Then a sudden movement ahead of them made them almost drop the crate. Forgetting that they were already invisible, they shrank into the shadows, staring at the dark outlines of two people grappling with each other ten feet away. A lamp flared. Professor McGonagall, in a tartan bathrobe and a hair net, had Malfoy by the ear.**

**"Detention!" she shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how dare you -"**

**"You don't understand, Professor. Harry Potter's coming - he's got a dragon!"**

**"What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on - I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!" The steep spiral staircase up to the top of the tower seemed the easiest**

**thing in the world after that. Not until they'd stepped out into the cold night air did they throw off the cloak, glad to be able to breathe properly again. Hermione did a sort of jig.**

**"Malfoy's got detention! I could sing!"**

**"Don't," Harry advised her. Chuckling about Malfoy, they waited, Norbert thrashing about in his crate. About ten minutes later, four broomsticks came swooping down out of the darkness. Charlie's friends were a cheery lot. They showed Harry and Hermione the**

**harness they'd rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them. They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it and then Harry and Hermione shook hands with the others and thanked them very much. At last, Norbert was going... going... gone. They slipped back down the spiral staircase, their hearts as light as their hands, now that Norbert was off them. No more dragon - Malfoy in detention - what could spoil their happiness? The answer to that was waiting at the foot of the stairs. As they stepped into the corridor, Filch's face loomed suddenly out of the darkness.**

**"Well, well, well," he whispered, "we are in trouble." They'd left the invisibility cloak on top of the tower.**

"D'oh!" James said, while many of the muggleborns laughed.

"Who wants to read next?" Bill laughed, shaking his head. After a few minutes, Fred grabbed the book from his brother.


	16. Chapter 16

"**CHAPTER FIFTEEN, THE FORIBIDDEN FOREST" **Fred began, while everyone else started whispering about what this chapter could include.

McGonagall, who was extremely upset at the reminder of what had happened the past chapter, had her lips thinned in anger.

**Things couldn't have been worse. Filch took them down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where they sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Hermione**

**was trembling. Excuses, alibis, and wild cover- up stories chased each other around Harry's brain, each more feeble than the last. He couldn't see how they were going to get out of trouble this time. They were cornered. How could they have been so stupid as to forget the cloak? **

Kind of agree with you there, son, James thought, grimacing.

**There was no reason on earth that Professor McGonagall would accept for their being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest astronomy tower, which was out-of-bounds except for classes.**

"And where many couple go to make out," George snickered while Fred smirked before continuing.

**Add Norbert and the invisibility cloak, and they might as well be packing their bags already. Had Harry thought that things couldn't have been worse? He was wrong. When Professor McGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville.**

**"Harry!" Neville burst out, the moment he saw the other two. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag -"**

**Harry shook his head violently to shut Neville up, but Professor McGonagall had seen. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towered over the three of them.**

"Potter!" McGonagall snapped, softening lightly when she saw Harry flinch.

**"I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves." It was the first time Hermione had ever failed to answer a teacher's question. She was staring at her slippers, as still as a statue.**

**"I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on," said Professor McGonagall. "It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I've already caught him. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?" Harry caught Neville's eye and tried to tell him without words that this wasn't true, because Neville was looking stunned and hurt.**

"Oh. It's alright, Harry, I understand that." Neville smiled.

**Poor, blundering Neville - Harry knew what it must have cost him to try and find them in the dark, to warn them.**

**"I'm disgusted," said Professor McGonagall. "Four students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before!"**

James and Remus let out a loud string of laughter while Sirius barked, and McGonagall had the decency to smile lightly.

"Hush, I was in shock. Up until then, your son had no signs of being like you, Potter." She laughed, shaking her head.

"**You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All three of you will receive detentions - yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, nothing gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous - and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor." **

**"Fifty?" Harry gasped - they would lose the lead, the lead he'd won in the last Quidditch match.**

**"Fifty points each," said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose.**

**"Professor – please"**

**"You can't -"**

**"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students." **

Everyone flinched, not only at her reply to Harry, but at the word ashamed, and many Gryffindors hung their heads, despite the fact that it was four years ago.

**A hundred and fifty points lost. That put Gryffindor in last place. In one night, they'd ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the house cup. Harry felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. How could they ever make up for this? **

Many people started feeling guilty, remembering how they treated Harry after they found out he was involved. Fred included, who mumbled a quick sorry to Harry, who only nodded sligtly.

**Harry didn't sleep all night. He could hear Neville sobbing into his pillow for what seemed like hours. Harry couldn't think of anything to say to comfort him. He knew Neville, like himself, was dreading the dawn. What would happen when the rest of Gryffindor found out what they'd done?**

**At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points,**

**him and a couple of other stupid first years. From being one of the most popular and admired people at the school, Harry was suddenly the most hated. Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on him, because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose**

**the house cup. **

Silence rung in the great hall, as McGonagall looked at everyone, even more ashamed.

"Where is the house unity in this place? The equality? You should all be ashamed of yourselves!" She snapped.

**Everywhere Harry went, people pointed and didn't trouble to lower their voices as they insulted him. Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as he walked past them, whistling and cheering, "Thanks Potter, we owe you one!"**

**Only Ron stood by him. "They'll all forget this in a few weeks. Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they've been here, and people still like them."**

**"They've never lost a hundred and fifty points in one go, though, have they?" said Harry miserably.**

**"Well - no," Ron admitted. It was a bit late to repair the damage, but Harry swore to himself not to meddle in things that weren't his business from now on.**

Snape snorted, James and Lily glared and Sirius wondered if Snape would ever open his eyes and ears.

**He'd had it with sneaking around and spying. He felt so ashamed of himself that he went to Wood and offered to resign from the Quidditch team.**

"What good'll that do?" James and Ron questioned, while Harry only shrugged.

**"Resign?" Wood thundered. "What good'll that do? How are we going to get any points back if we can't win at Quidditch?" But even Quidditch had lost its fun. The rest of the team wouldn't speak to Harry during practice, and if they had to speak about him, they**

**called him "the Seeker." **

Fred stopped here, and George bit his lip.

"Sorry, mate." They said, feeling extremely horrible for how they acted.

Before anything could go on though, Umbridge, who many people had forgotten about, interrupted.

"Maybe we should take the blasted cloak away. It's obvious it –" Harry's eyes went wide at this, and Albus had to remind her what the note said. She chose to pout, and then glare.

**Hermione and Neville were suffering, too. They didn't have as bad a time as Harry, because they weren't as well-known, but nobody would speak to them, either. Hermione had stopped drawing attention to herself in class, keeping her head down and working in silence. Harry was almost glad that the exams weren't far away. All the studying he had to do kept his mind off his misery. He, Ron, and Hermione kept to themselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions... **

**Then, about a week before the exams were due to start, Harry's new resolution not to interfere in anything that didn't concern him was put to an unexpected test. Walking back from the library on his own one afternoon, he heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As he drew closer, he heard Quirrell's voice.**

**"No - no - not again, please -" It sounded as though someone was threatening him. Harry moved closer.**

**"All right - all right -" he heard Quirrell sob. Next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban. **

Lily frowned at this, before whispering in James' ear, who nodded slightly in agreement.

**He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. He strode out of sight; Harry didn't think Quirrell had even noticed him. He waited until Quirrell's footsteps had disappeared, then peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door stood ajar at the other end. Harry was halfway toward it before he remembered what he'd promised himself about not meddling. All the same, he'd have gambled twelve Sorcerer's Stones that Snape had just left the room, and from what Harry had just heard, Snape would be walking with a new spring in his step - Quirrell seemed to have given in at last. Harry went back to the library, where Hermione was testing Ron on Astronomy. Harry told them what he'd heard.**

**"Snape's done it, then!" said Ron. "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell -"**

**"There's still Fluffy, though," said Hermione.**

**"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid," said Ron, looking up at the thousands of books surrounding them. "I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog. So what do we do, Harry?" The light of adventure was kindling again in Ron's eyes, but Hermione answered before Harry could.**

**"Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure."**

**"But we've got no proof!" said Harry. "Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor - who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining." Hermione looked convinced, but Ron didn't.**

**"If we just do a bit of poking around -"**

**"No," said Harry flatly, "we've done enough poking around." **

Snape looked shocked at this, as did George, but they both quickly recovered.

**He pulled a map of Jupiter toward him and started to learn the names of its moons. The following morning, notes were delivered to Harry, Hermione, and Neville at the breakfast table. They were all the same:**

**Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.**

**Professor McGonagall **

**Harry had forgotten they still had detentions to do in the furor over the points they'd lost. He half expected Hermione to complain that this was a whole night of studying lost, but she didn't say a word. Like Harry, she felt they deserved what they'd got. At eleven o'clock that night, they said good-bye to Ron in the common room and went down to the entrance hall with Neville. Filch was already there - and so was Malfoy. Harry had also forgotten that Malfoy had gotten a detention, too.**

**"Follow me," said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside. "I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at them. "Oh yes... hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me... It's just a pity they let the old**

**punishments die out... hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed... Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do." They marched off across the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffing. Harry wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really horrible, or Filch wouldn't be sounding so delighted. The moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Harry could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they heard a distant shout.**

**"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started." Harry's heart rose; if they were going to be working with Hagrid it wouldn't be so bad. His relief must have showed in his -face, because Filch said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, boy - it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece." At this, Neville let out a little moan, and Malfoy stopped dead in his**

**tracks.**

**"The forest?" he repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual. "We can't go in there at night - there's all sorts of things in there - werewolves, I heard." Neville clutched the sleeve of Harry's robe and made a choking noise.**

**"That's your problem, isn't it?" said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?" Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder.**

**"Abou' time," he said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Hermione?"**

**"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," said Filch coldly, "they're here to be punished, after all."**

**"That's why yer late, is it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."**

**"I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left of them," he added nastily, and he turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.**

**Malfoy now turned to Hagrid.**

**"I'm not going in that forest, he said, and Harry was pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice.**

**"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," said Hagrid fiercely.**

**"Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it."**

Narcissa could be seen nodding in agreement.

**"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this, he'd tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts,"**

Narcissa, having heard this, glared at both Malfoy males, who shirked away from her stare. She could be heard mumbling about how she'll have to teach both of them the proper manners, causing many to snort.

**Hagrid growled. "Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or Yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on"' Malfoy didn't move. He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze.**

**"Right then," said Hagrid, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment." He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest.**

**"Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."**

**"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" said Malfoy, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.**

**"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," said Hagrid. "An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin'**

**around since last night at least."**

**"I want Fang," said Malfoy quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth.**

**"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," said Hagrid. "So me, Harry, an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, Neville, an' Fang'll go the other. Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now - that's it - an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh - so, be careful - let's go." The forest was black and silent. A little way into it they reached a fork in the earth path, and Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid took the left path while Malfoy, Neville, and Fang took the right. They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver-blue blood on the fallen leaves. Harry saw that Hagrid looked very worried.**

**"Could a werewolf be killing the unicorns?" Harry asked.**

"Nah, we're not fast enough," Remus said, smiling at Harry, who smiled back. Many students, who didn't know Lupin, looked surprised by his verb usage.

**"Not fast enough," said Hagrid. "It's not easy ter catch a unicorn, they're powerful magic creatures. I never knew one ter be hurt before." They walked past a mossy tree stump. Harry could hear running water; there must be a stream somewhere close by. There were still spots of unicorn blood here and there along the winding path.**

**"You all right, Hermione?" Hagrid whispered. "Don' worry, it can't've gone far if it's this badly hurt, an' then we'll be able ter – GET BEHIND THAT TREE!"**

"WHY? WHAT'S HAPPENED?" Lily shouted, clearly into the story, making everyone laugh. She blushed, indicating that Fred should continue.

**Hagrid seized Harry and Hermione and hoisted them off the path behind a towering oak. He pulled out an arrow and fitted it into his crossbow, raising it, ready to fire. The three of them listened. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby: it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. Hagrid was squinting up the dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away.**

**"I knew it, " he murmured. "There's summat in here that shouldn' be."**

**"A werewolf?" Harry suggested.**

"Harry!" Remus sighed.

"Sorry, Remus." He blushed.

**"That wasn' no werewolf an' it wasn' no unicorn, neither," said Hagrid grimly. "Right, follow me, but careful, now." They walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved.**

**"Who's there?" Hagrid called. "Show yerself - I'm armed!" And into the clearing came - was it a man, or a horse? To the waist, a man, with red hair and beard, but below that was a horse's gleaming chestnut body with a long, reddish tail. Harry and Hermione's jaws**

**dropped.**

**"Oh, it's you, Ronan," said Hagrid in relief. "How are yeh?" He walked forward and shook the centaur's hand.**

**"Good evening to you, Hagrid," said Ronan. He had a deep, sorrowful voice. "Were you going to shoot me?"**

**"Can't be too careful, Ronan," said Hagrid, patting his crossbow.**

**"There's summat bad loose in this forest. This is Harry Potter an' Hermione Granger, by the way. Students up at the school. An' this is Ronan, you two. He's a centaur."**

**"We'd noticed," said Hermione faintly.**

**"Good evening," said Ronan. "Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?"**

**"Erm -"**

**"A bit," said Hermione timidly.**

**"A bit. Well, that's something." Ronan sighed. He flung back his head and stared at the sky. "Mars is bright tonight."**

James and Lily lifted their heads.

"Isn't Mars the symbol of-?" James asked, only to stop when he saw his wife nodding her head with a grim look on her face.

**"Yeah," said Hagrid, glancing up, too. "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn bin hurt - you seen anythin'?" Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upward, then sighed again.**

**"Always the innocent are the first victims," he said. "So it has been for ages past, so it is now."**

**"Yeah," said Hagrid, "but have yeh seen anythin', Ronan? Anythin' unusual?"**

**"Mars is bright tonight," Ronan repeated, while Hagrid watched him impatiently. **

**"Unusually bright."**

**"Yeah, but I was meanin' anythin' unusual a bit nearer home, said Hagrid. "So yeh haven't noticed anythin' strange?" Yet again, Ronan took a while to answer. At last, he said, "The forest hides many secrets." A movement in the trees behind Ronan made Hagrid raise his bow again, but it was only a second centaur, black-haired and -bodied and**

**wilder-looking than Ronan.**

**"Hullo, Bane," said Hagrid. "All right?"**

**"Good evening, Hagrid, I hope you are well?"**

**"Well enough. Look, I've jus' bin askin' Ronan, you seen anythin' odd in here lately? There's a unicorn bin injured - would yeh know anythin' about it?" Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skyward. "Mars is bright tonight," he said simply. **

**"We've heard," said Hagrid grumpily. "Well, if either of you do see anythin', let me know, won't yeh? We'll be off, then." Harry and Hermione followed him out of the clearing, staring over their shoulders at Ronan and Bane until the trees blocked their view.**

**"Never," said Hagrid irritably, "try an' get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon."**

**"Are there many of them in here?" asked Hermione.**

**"Oh, a fair few... Keep themselves to themselves mostly, but they're good enough about turnin' up if ever I want a word. They're deep, mind, centaurs... they know things... jus' don' let on much."**

**"D'you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?" said Harry.**

**"Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeh ask me, that was what's bin killin' the unicorns - never heard anythin' like it before." They walked on through the dense, dark trees. Harry kept looking nervously over his shoulder. He had the nasty feeling they were being watched. He was very glad they had Hagrid and his crossbow with them. They had just passed a bend in the path when Hermione grabbed Hagrid's arm.**

**"Hagrid! Look! Red sparks, the others are in trouble!"**

**"You two wait here!" Hagrid shouted. "Stay on the path, I'll come back for yeh!" They heard him crashing away through the undergrowth and stood looking at each other, very scared, until they couldn't hear anything but the rustling of leaves around them.**

**"You don't think they've been hurt, do you?" whispered Hermione.**

**"I don't care if Malfoy has, but if something's got Neville... it's our fault he's here in the first place." The minutes dragged by. Their ears seemed sharper than usual. Harry's**

**seemed to be picking up every sigh of the wind, every cracking twig. What was going on? Where were the others? At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return. Malfoy, Neville, and Fang were with him. Hagrid was fuming. Malfoy, it seemed, had sneaked up behind Neville and grabbed him as a joke. Neville had panicked and sent up the sparks.**

"Draco Malfoy, we will be having words about your behavior!" Narcissa snapped, moving when Lucius tried to calm her down.

**"We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you two were makin'. Right, we're changin' groups - Neville, you stay with me an' Hermione, Harry, you go with Fang an' this idiot. I'm sorry," Hagrid added in a whisper to Harry, "but he'll have a harder time frightenin' you, an' we've gotta get this done." So Harry set off into the heart of the forest with Malfoy and Fang. They walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. Harry thought the blood seemed to be getting thicker. There were splashes on the roots of a tree, as though the poor creature had been thrashing around in pain close by. Harry could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an ancient oak.**

**"Look -" he murmured, holding out his arm to stop Malfoy. Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. They inched closer. It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead. Harry had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at**

**odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves.**

The females in the hall looked down, trying not to cry at such a beautiful creature being killed.

**Harry had taken one step toward it when a slithering sound made him freeze where he stood. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered... Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. Harry, Malfoy, and Fang stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side, and began to drink its blood.**

"Well, fu—"

"James!" Lily snapped, her heart beating fast in worry.

**"AAAAAAAAAARGH!" Malfoy let out a terrible scream and bolted - so did Fang. The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry - unicorn blood was dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Harry - he couldn't move for fear.**

**Then a pain like he'd never felt before pierced his head; it was as though his scar were on fire.**

"What, why?" Many people shouted, while James and Lily just looked down and shook their heads, knowing instantly what was going on.

**Half blinded, he staggered backward. He heard hooves behind him, galloping, and something jumped clean over Harry, charging at the figure. The pain in Harry's head was so bad he fell to his knees. It took a minute or two to pass. When he looked up, the figure had gone. A centaur was standing over him, not Ronan or Bane; this one looked younger; he had white-blond hair and a palomino body.**

**"Are you all right?" said the centaur, pulling Harry to his feet. **

**"Yes - thank you - what was that?" The centaur didn't answer. He had astonishingly blue eyes, like pale sapphires. He looked carefully at Harry, his eyes lingering on the scar that stood out, livid, on Harry's forehead.**

**"You are the Potter boy," he said. "You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time - especially for you. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way.**

**"My name is Firenze," he added, as he lowered himself on to his front legs so that Harry could clamber onto his back. **

"That's—"

"Shockingly impressive," James interrupted his wife, surprised how a centaur would let Harry on its back.

**There was suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Ronan and Bane came bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty.**

**"Firenze!" Bane thundered. "What are you doing? You have a human on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?"**

**"Do you realize who this is?" said Firenze. "This is the Potter boy. The quicker he leaves this forest, the better."**

**"What have you been telling him?" growled Bane. "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?" Ronan pawed the ground nervously. "I'm sure Firenze thought he was**

**acting for the best, " he said in his gloomy voice. Bane kicked his back legs in anger.**

**"For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!" Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger, so that Harry had**

**to grab his shoulders to stay on. **

**"Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed at Bane. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must." And Firenze whisked around; with Harry clutching on as best he could, they plunged off into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them. Harry didn't have a clue what was going on.**

**"Why's Bane so angry?" he asked. "What was that thing you saved me from, anyway?"**

**Firenze slowed to a walk, warned Harry to keep his head bowed in case of low-hanging branches, but did not answer Harry's question. They made their way through the trees in silence for so long that Harry thought Firenze didn't want to talk to him anymore. They were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly**

**stopped.**

**"Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used -for?"**

**"No," said Harry, startled by the odd question. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions."**

**"That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," said Firenze. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips." Harry stared at the back of Firenze's head, which was dappled silver in the moonlight.**

"But what happens if the unicorn is already dead when you drink from it?" Harry asked Hermione, who shrugged and wrote it down on her parchment.

**"But who'd be that desperate?" he wondered aloud. "If you're going to be cursed forever, deaths better, isn't it?"**

**"It is," Firenze agreed, "unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else - something that will bring you back to full strength and power - something that will mean you can never die. Mr. Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very**

**moment?" **

**"The Sorcerer's Stone! Of course - the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who -"**

**"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?" It was as though an iron fist had clenched suddenly around Harry's heart. Over the rustling of the trees, he seemed to hear once more what Hagrid had told him on the night they had met: "Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die."**

**"Do you mean," Harry croaked, "that was Vol-"**

**"Harry! Harry, are you all right?" Hermione was running toward them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind her.**

**"I'm fine," said Harry, hardly knowing what he was saying. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there." **

**"This is where I leave you," Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now." Harry slid off his back.**

**"Good luck, Harry Potter," said Firenze. "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times." He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest, leaving Harry shivering behind him. Ron had fallen asleep in the dark common room, waiting for them to return. He shouted something about Quidditch fouls when Harry roughly shook him awake. In a matter of seconds, though, he was wide-eyed as Harry began to tell him and Hermione what had happened in the forest. Harry couldn't sit down. He paced up and down in front of the fire. He was still shaking.**

**"Snape wants the stone for Voldemort... and Voldemort's waiting in the forest... and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich..."**

**"Stop saying the name!" said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them. Harry wasn't listening.**

Fred, who was reading, had a hard time saying the name himself, but soon found himself comfortable doing so. When people stared at him, he could only shrug.

"What? It's Harry's life. We're gonna have to get use to saying and hearing it."

**"Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so... Bane was furious... he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen... They must show that Voldemort's coming back... Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me... I suppose that's written in the stars as well."**

**"Will you stop saying the name!" Ron hissed.**

**"So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone," Harry went on feverishly, "then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off... Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy." Hermione looked very frightened, but she had a word of comfort.**

**"Harry, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic." The sky had turned light before they stopped talking. They went to bed exhausted, their throats sore. But the night's surprises weren't over. When Harry pulled back his sheets, he found his invisibility cloak folded neatly underneath them. There was a note pinned to it: Just in case.**

"Really, Albus, really?" Snape groaned, unimpressed with Albus bringing him the cloak once more, who could only chuckle in reply.

"Who'd like to read next?" Fred asked, letting the book float in the air. After a couple of minutes, it was grabbed by Kingsley Shacklebolt, who turned the page.


	17. Chapter 17

"**CHAPTER SIXTEEN, THROUGH THE TRAPDOOR" **Kingsley began, before pausing and thinking about how much danger the kids would be putting themselves through. Obviously, James and Lily felt the same way, as they both had looks of worry on their faces.

**In years to come, Harry would never quite remember how he had managed to get through his exams when he half expected Voldemort to come bursting through the door at any moment. **

Everyone flinched, either because of the name or the reasoning behind it.

**Yet the days crept by, and there could be no doubt that Fluffy was still alive and well behind the locked door. It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an AntiCheating spell.**

**They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tapdance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox - points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers.**

"You're still doing those as exams?" Lily snorted, shaking her head.

**Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion. **

"Ironic." James snorted, trying his hardest not to glare.

**Harry did the best he could, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in his forehead, which had been bothering him ever since his trip into the forest. Neville thought Harry had a bad case of exam nerves because Harry couldn't sleep, but the truth was that Harry kept being woken by his old nightmare, except that it was now worse than ever because there was a hooded figure dripping blood in it. Maybe it was because they hadn't seen what Harry had seen in the forest, or because they didn't have scars burning on their foreheads, but Ron and Hermione didn't seem as worried about the Stone as Harry. **

Hermione squeezed Harry's hand, trying to communicate that she understood.

**The idea of Voldemort certainly scared them, but he didn't keep visiting them in dreams, and they were so busy with their studying they didn't have much time to fret about what Snape or anyone else might be up to. Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented self-stirring cauldrons and they'd be free, free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Harry couldn't help cheering with the rest.**

**"That was far easier than I thought it would be," said Hermione as they joined the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds. "I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager." **

"You learned that?" James said, stunned and impressed. Lily was smiling and clapping her hands at the idea that Hermione was so much like her.

**Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterward, but Ron said this made him feel ill, so they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows.**

**"No more studying," Ron sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. "You could look more cheerful, Harry, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet." Harry was rubbing his forehead.**

**"I wish I knew what this means!" he burst out angrily. "My scar keeps hurting - it's happened before, but never as often as this."**

**"Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggested.**

**"I'm not ill," said Harry. "I think it's a warning... it means danger's coming..."**

"Oh, sweetie," Lily whispered, saddened once more.

**Ron couldn't get worked up, it was too hot.**

**"Harry, relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down." Harry nodded, but he couldn't shake off a lurking feeling that there was something he'd forgotten to do, something important. When he tried to explain this, Hermione said, "That's just the exams. I woke up last**

**night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd done that one." Harry was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn't have anything to do with work, though. He watched an owl flutter toward the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hagrid was the only one who ever sent him letters. Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy... never... but –**

**Harry suddenly jumped to his feet.**

**"Where're you going?" said Ron sleepily.**

**"I've just thought of something," said Harry. He had turned white.**

**"We've got to go and see Hagrid, now."**

**"Why?" panted Hermione, hurrying to keep up.**

**"Don't you think it's a bit odd," said Harry, scrambling up the grassy slope, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?"**

"Oh. Wow. That- shit, that makes so much bloody sense." James stated, laughing at himself for not realizing it sooner.

**"What are you talking about?" said Ron, but Harry, sprinting across the grounds toward the forest, didn't answer. Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.**

**"Hullo," he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"**

**"Yes, please," said Ron, but Harry cut him off.**

"Harry, be nice!" Lily scolded, though not by much.

**"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"**

**"Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn' take his cloak off." He saw the three of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows.**

**"It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head - that's the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up." **

**Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas. "What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"**

**"Mighta come up," said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah... he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here... He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after... so I told him... an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon... an' then... I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks..."**

"Well, that's definitely a way to make Hagrid talk!" James said, shaking his head while Umbridge shook her own while mumbling filthy half-breed.

"**Let's see... yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted... but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home... So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy..."**

**"And did he - did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice calm.**

**"Well - yeah - how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep -" Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.**

The real Hagrid was shaking his head, obviously realizing what his statement had truly done.

**"I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey - where're yeh goin'?"**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the entrance hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds.**

**"We've got to go to Dumbledore," said Harry. "Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak - it must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him. Where's Dumbledore's office?" They looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.**

James guffawed at this, Sirius snorted, Remus shook his head and Lily giggled, remembering how often the four of them ended up in the headmasters office.

**"We'll just have to -" Harry began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall.**

**"What are you three doing inside?" It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books.**

**"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," said Hermione, rather bravely, Harry and Ron thought.**

**"See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do. "Why?"**

**Harry swallowed - now what?**

**"It's sort of secret," he said, but he wished at once he hadn't, because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared.**

"Oh, Harry, you _never_ say that to Minnie," Lily stated, her eyes widening when she realizes what she called her old professor.

**"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she said coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."**

"The blue envelope, dear?"

"I do say so, James."

**"He's gone?" said Harry frantically. "Now?"**

**"Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time –"**

**"But this is important."**

**"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter."**

**"Look," said Harry, throwing caution to the winds, "Professor - it's about the Sorcerer's stone -" Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn't pick them up.**

**"How do you know -?" she spluttered.**

"Very nicely done, son." James laughed, having never made Minerva splutter before.

**"Professor, I think - I know - that Sn- that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore." She eyed him with a mixture of shock and suspicion.**

**"Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said finally. I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."**

**"But Professor -"**

**"Potter, I know what I'm talking about," she said shortly. She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine." But they didn't.**

**"It's tonight," said Harry, once he was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. **

**"Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs, and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up."**

**"But what can we -" Hermione gasped. Harry and Ron wheeled round. Snape was standing there.**

**"Good afternoon," he said smoothly. They stared at him.**

**"You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," he said, with an odd, twisted smile.**

"Of course," James shivered in mock fear.

**"We were -" Harry began, without any idea what he was going to say.**

**"You want to be more careful," said Snape. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?" Harry flushed. They turned to go outside, but Snape called them back.**

**"Be warned, Potter - any more nighttime wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you."**

"But people don't get expelled for nighttime wanderings, Sni—Snape." Lily snarled, while James stroked her arm, surprised at what just came out of her mouth. He knew she felt bad about it, and whispered into her ear, telling her it was alright.

**He strode off in the direction of the staffroom. Out on the stone steps, Harry turned to the others.**

**"Right, here's what we've got to do," he whispered urgently. "One of us has got to keep an eye on Snape - wait outside the staff room and follow him if he leaves it. Hermione, you'd better do that."**

**"Why me?"**

"Well, duh." James said, stopping his whispers for a second to do so.

**"It's obvious," said Ron. "You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick, you know." He put on a high voice, "'Oh Professor Flitwick, I'm so worried, I think I got question fourteen b wrong...'"**

**"Oh, shut up," said Hermione, but she agreed to go and watch out for Snape.**

**"And we'd better stay outside the third-floor corridor," Harry told Ron.**

**"Come on." But that part of the plan didn't work. No sooner had they reached the**

**door separating Fluffy from the rest of the school than Professor McGonagall turned up again and this time, she lost her temper.**

**"I suppose you think you're harder to get past than a pack of enchantments!" she stormed. "Enough of this nonsense! If I hear you've come anywhere near here again, I'll take another fifty points from Gryffindor! Yes, Weasley, from my own house!" Harry and Ron went back to the common room, Harry had just said, "At least Hermione's on Snape's**

**tail," when the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Hermione came in.**

**"I'm sorry, Harry!" she wailed. "Snape came out and asked me what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him, and I've only just got away, I don't know where Snape went."**

**"Well, that's it then, isn't it?" Harry said. The other two stared at him. He was pale and his eyes were glittering.**

**"I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone first."**

**"You're mad!" said Ron.**

**"You can't!" said Hermione. "After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled!"**

**"SO WHAT" Harry shouted. "Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort's coming back! Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see? D'you think**

**he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the house cup? If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there, it's only dying a bit later than I would have, because I'm never going over to the Dark Side! I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?"**

Many people were about to shout hear hear at Harry's speech, but stopped mid shout when he ended it with his parents death, not wanting to do that.

**He glared at them.**

**"You're right Harry," said Hermione in a small voice.**

**"I'll use the invisibility cloak," said Harry. "It's just lucky I got it back."**

**"But will it cover all three of us?" said Ron.**

**"All - all three of us?"**

**"Oh, come off it, you don't think we'd let you go alone?"**

**"Of course not," said Hermione briskly. "How do you think you'd get to the Stone without us? I'd better go and took through my books, there might be something useful..."**

Ginny, who had been thrilled over the fact that Hermione spoke in a small voice, glared at the books when the sentence Hermione spoke was read.

**"But if we get caught, you two will be expelled, too."**

**"Not if I can help it," said Hermione grimly. "Flitwick told me in secret that I got a hundred and twelve percent on his exam. They're not throwing me out after that." **

A loud clattering was heard from the head table. Lily, who was about to take a sip from her goblet, had dropped in it shocked at hearing that.

"You- you-" James laughed, unable to stop himself when looking at his wife.

"You see, lassie, she only got 110 on Flitwicks exam in her first year. Technically, you've replaced her as best in Charms, despite it being, well, her best subject." James finished, still laughing. Hermione blushed, as did Lily, who stopped sputtering, and smiled at Hermione.

**After dinner the three of them sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered them; none of the Gryffindors had anything to say to Harry any more, after all. This was the first night he hadn't been upset by it. Hermione was skimming through all her notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments they were about to try to break. Harry and Ron didn't talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were about to do. Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.**

**"Better get the cloak," Ron muttered, as Lee Jordan finally left, stretching and yawning. Harry ran upstairs to their dark dormitory. He putted out the cloak and then his eyes fell on the flute Hagrid had given him for Christmas. He pocketed it to use on Fluffy - he didn't feel much like singing. He ran back down to the common room.**

**"We'd better put the cloak on here, and make sure it covers all three of us - if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own -"**

**"What are you doing?" said a voice from the corner of the room. Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked as though he'd been making another bid for freedom.**

**"Nothing, Neville, nothing," said Harry, hurriedly putting the cloak behind his back. Neville stared at their guilty faces.**

**"You're going out again," he said.**

**"No, no, no," said Hermione. "No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?" Harry looked at the grandfather clock by the door. They couldn't afford to waste any more time, Snape might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep.**

**"You can't go out," said Neville, "you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."**

**"You don't understand," said Harry, "this is important." But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate.**

"**I won't let you do it," he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll - I'll fight you!"**

**"Neville, "Ron exploded, "get away from that hole and don't be an idiot -"**

**"Don't you call me an idiot!" said Neville. I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"**

"Yes, but I don't think they meant themselves, dear," Molly stated nicely while Neville smiled back politely. Lily having seen this, chuckled, and smiled at Neville, who laughed. Personally, Harry's mom seemed much nicer than Ron's.

**"Yes, but not to us," said Ron in exasperation. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing." He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight.**

**"Go on then, try and hit me!" said Neville, raising his fists. "I'm ready!" Harry turned to Hermione.**

"Awh, you turn to her first." Lily smiled, while the two teens in questioned blushed, the twins sniggered and Ginny scowled.

**"Do something," he said desperately. Hermione stepped forward.**

**"Neville," she said, "I'm really, really sorry about this." She raised her wand.**

"I really was sorry, Nev,"

"It's fine, Hermione," Neville smiled as Kingsley continued to read.

**"Petrificus Totalus!" she cried, pointing it at Neville. Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board. Hermione ran to turn him over. Neville's jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at them in horror.**

**"What've you done to him?" Harry whispered.**

**"It's the full Body-Bind," said Hermione miserably. "Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry."**

**"We had to, Neville, no time to explain," said Harry.**

"Completely understandable, mates."

**"You'll understand later, Neville," said Ron as they stepped over him and pulled on the invisibility cloak. But leaving Neville lying motionless on the floor didn't feel like a**

**very good omen. In their nervous state, every statue's shadow looked like Filch, every distant breath of wind sounded like Peeves swooping down on them. At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs. Norris skulking near the top.**

**"Oh, let's kick her, just this once," Ron whispered in Harry's ear, but Harry shook his head. As they climbed carefully around her, Mrs. Norris turned her lamplike eyes on them, but didn't do anything. They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip.**

"Oh no," The twins, James and Remus groaned, while Sirius just tilted his head.

**"Who's there?" he said suddenly as they climbed toward him. He narrowed his wicked black eyes. "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?" He rose up in the air and floated there, squinting at them.**

**"Should call Filch, I should, if something's a-creeping around unseen." Harry had a sudden idea.**

**"Peeves," he said, in a hoarse whisper, "the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible." Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock. He caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs.**

"Bloody brilliant, son!" James laughed, clapping his hands as Snape scowled in his general direction.

**"So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, Sir," he said greasily. "My mistake, my mistake - I didn't see you - of course I didn't, you're invisible - forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir."**

**"I have business here, Peeves," croaked Harry. "Stay away from this place tonight."**

**"I will, sir, I most certainly will," said Peeves, rising up in the air again. "Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you." And he scooted off**

**"Brilliant, Harry!" whispered Ron. A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third-floor corridor - and the door was already ajar.**

**"Well, there you are," Harry said quietly, "Snape's already got past Fluffy." Seeing the open door somehow seemed to impress upon all three of them what was facing them. Underneath the cloak, Harry turned to the other two.**

**"If you want to go back, I won't blame you," he said. "You can take the cloak, I won't need it now."**

**"Don't be stupid," said Ron.**

**"We're coming," said Hermione.**

Harry smiled lightly at Hermione, who smiled back, squeezing his hand.

**Harry pushed the door open. As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them.**

**"What's that at its feet?" Hermione whispered.**

**"Looks like a harp," said Ron. "Snape must have left it there."**

**"It must wake up the moment you stop playing," said Harry. "Well, here goes..." He put Hagrid's flute to his lips and blew. It wasn't really a tune, but from the first note the beast's eyes began to droop. Harry hardly drew breath. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased - it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.**

**"Keep playing," Ron warned Harry as they slipped out of the cloak and crept toward the trapdoor. They could feel the dog's hot, smelly breath as they approached the giant heads. **

**"I think we'll be able to pull the door open," said Ron, peering over the dog's back. "Want to go first, Hermione?"**

**"No, I don't!"**

**"All right." Ron gritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog's legs. He bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open.**

**"What can you see?" Hermione said anxiously.**

**"Nothing - just black - there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop." Harry, who was still playing the flute, waved at Ron to get his attention and pointed at himself.**

**"You want to go first? Are you sure?" said Ron. "I don't know how deep this thing goes. Give the flute to Hermione so she can keep him asleep." Harry handed the flute over. In the few seconds' silence, the dog growled and twitched, but the moment Hermione began to play, it fell back into its deep sleep. Harry climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor. There was no sign of the bottom. He lowered himself through the hole until he was hanging on by his fingertips. Then he looked up at Ron and said, "If anything happens to me, don't follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?"**

**"Right," said Ron.**

**"See you in a minute, I hope..." And Harry let go. **

"That is Gryffindor bravery right there."

**Cold, damp air rushed past him as he fell down, down, down and - FLUMP. With a funny, muffled sort of thump he landed on something soft. He sat up and felt around, his eyes not used to the gloom. It felt as though he was sitting on some sort of plant.**

**"It's okay!" he called up to the light the size of a postage stamp, which was the open trapdoor, "it's a soft landing, you can jump!" Ron followed right away. He landed, sprawled next to Harry.**

**"What's this stuff?" were his first words.**

**"Dunno, some sort of plant thing. I suppose it's here to break the fall. Come on, Hermione!" The distant music stopped. There was a loud bark from the dog, but**

**Hermione had already jumped. She landed on Harry's other side.**

**"We must be miles under the school , she said.**

**"Lucky this plant thing's here, really," said Ron.**

"I don't think there's anything to be lucky about here Ron," Lily said, arching her eyebrow.

**"Lucky!" shrieked Hermione. "Look at you both!" She leapt up and struggled toward a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around her ankles. **

"Oh, not Devils Snare," Lily and Neville groaned.

**As for Harry and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing. Hermione had managed to free herself before the plant got a firm grip on her. Now she watched in horror as the two boys fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound around them.**

**"Stop moving!" Hermione ordered them. "I know what this is - it's Devil's Snare!"**

**"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help," snarled Ron, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck. **

**"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" said Hermione.**

**"Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!" Harry gasped, wrestling with it as it curled around his chest.**

**"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare... what did Professor Sprout say? – it likes the dark and the damp"**

**"So light a fire!" Harry choked.**

**"Yes - of course - but there's no wood!" Hermione cried, wringing her hands.**

Lily laughed, James guffawed, the twins shouted in shock and the rest of the hall looked on at Hermione, surprised that she could truly lose her head at that moment.

**"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Ron bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"**

**"Oh, right!" said Hermione, and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something, and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames she had used on Snape at the plant. In a matter of seconds, the two boys felt it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth.**

**Wriggling and flailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies, and they were able to pull free.**

**"Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione," said Harry as he joined her by the wall, wiping sweat off his face.**

**"Yeah," said Ron, "and lucky Harry doesn't lose his head in a crisis - 'there's no wood,' honestly."**

**"This way," said Harry, pointing down a stone passageway, which was the only way forward. All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward, and Harry was reminded of Gringotts. With an unpleasant jolt of the heart, he remembered the dragons said to be guarding vaults in the wizards' bank. If they met a dragon, a fully-grown dragon - Norbert had been bad enough...**

**"Can you hear something?" Ron whispered. Harry listened. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.**

**"Do you think it's a ghost?"**

**"I don't know... sounds like wings to me."**

**"There's light ahead - I can see something moving." They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.**

**"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" said Ron.**

**"Probably," said Harry. "They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once... well, there's no other choice... I'll run." He took a deep breath, covered his face with his arms, and sprinted across the room. He expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at him any second, but nothing happened. He reached the door untouched. He pulled the handle, but it was locked. The other two followed him. They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge, not even when Hermione tried her Alohomora charm.**

**"Now what?" said Ron.**

**"These birds... they can't be here just for decoration," said Hermione. They watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering - glittering?**

**"They're not birds!" Harry said suddenly. "They're keys! Winged keys - look carefully. So that must mean..." he looked around the chamber while the other two squinted up at the flock of keys. "... yes - look! Broomsticks! We've got to catch the key to the door!"**

**"But there are hundreds of them!" Ron examined the lock on the door.**

**"We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one - probably silver, like the handle." They each seized a broomstick and kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. They grabbed and snatched, but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one. Not for nothing, though, was Harry the youngest Seeker in a century. He had a knack for spotting things other people didn't. After a minute's weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, he noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing, as if it had already been caught and stuffed roughly into the keyhole.**

**"That one!" he called to the others. "That big one - there - no, there - with bright blue wings - the feathers are all crumpled on one side." Ron went speeding in the direction that Harry was pointing, crashed into the ceiling, and nearly fell off his broom.**

**"We've got to close in on it!" Harry called, not taking his eyes off the key with the damaged wing. "Ron, you come at it from above - Hermione, stay below and stop it from going down and I'll try and catch it. Right, NOW!" **

"Nice leadership skills, Potter." Mad-Eye grumbled.

**Ron dived, Hermione rocketed upward, the key dodged them both, and Harry streaked after it; it sped toward the wall, Harry leaned forward and with a nasty, crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand. Ron and Hermione's cheers echoed around the high chamber. They landed quickly, and Harry ran to the door, the key struggling in his hand. He rammed it into the lock and turned - it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice.**

**"Ready?" Harry asked the other two, his hand on the door handle. They nodded. He pulled the door open. The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight. They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Harry, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly - the towering white chessmen had no faces.**

**"Now what do we do?" Harry whispered.**

**"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play our way across the room." Behind the white pieces they could see another door.**

**"How?" said Hermione nervously.**

**"I think," said Ron, "we're going to have to be chessmen." He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron.**

**"Do we - er - have to join you to get across?" The black knight nodded. Ron turned to the other two.**

**"This needs thinking about he said. I suppose we've got to take the place of three of the black pieces..." Harry and Hermione stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Finally he said,**

**"Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess -"**

"I doubt they'd be offended, Ron." Remus said quietly, with the others nodding their head in agreement.

**"We're not offended," said Harry quickly. "Just tell us what to do."**

**"Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you go next to him instead of that castle."**

**"What about you?"**

**"I'm going to be a knight," said Ron. The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words a knight, a bishop, and a castle turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving three empty squares that Harry, Ron, and Hermione took.**

**"White always plays first in chess," said Ron, peering across the board.**

**"Yes... look..." A white pawn had moved forward two squares. Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Harry's knees were trembling. What if they lost?**

"Don't think like that, sweetheart," Lily murmured.

**"Harry - move diagonally four squares to the right." Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown.**

**"Had to let that happen," said Ron, looking shaken. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on." Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy.**

**Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Harry and Hermione were in danger. He himself darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones.**

**"We're nearly there," he muttered suddenly. "Let me think let me think..."**

"Oh," Lily said, an earlier thought coming back to her.

"What?"

"At Christmas, Ron's chessmen were battered,"

"Oh. Foreshadowing thing?" Lily nodded her head while James gulped.

**The white queen turned her blank face toward him.**

**"Yes..." said Ron softly, "It's the only way... I've got to be taken."**

**"NO" Harry and Hermione shouted.**

**"That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I take one step forward and she'll take me - that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!"**

**"But -"**

**"Do you want to stop Snape or not?"**

**"Ron -"**

**"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!" There was no alternative.**

**"Ready?" Ron called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go - now, don't hang around once you've won." He stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard**

**across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor - Hermione screamed but stayed on her square - the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out. Shaking, Harry moved three spaces to the left.**

**The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look back at Ron, Harry and Hermione charged through the door and up the next passageway.**

**"What if he's -?"**

**"He'll be all right," said Harry, trying to convince himself. "What do you reckon's next?"**

**"We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare; Flitwick must've put charms on the keys; McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive; that leaves Quirrell's spell, and Snape's." They had reached another door.**

**"All right?" Harry whispered.**

**"Go on." Harry pushed it open. A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making both of them pull their robes up over their noses. Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in**

**front of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head.**

**"I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one," Harry whispered as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs.**

"You and me both, Harry." James said, wrinkling his nose.

**"Come on, I can't breathe." He pulled open the next door, both of them hardly daring to look at what came next - but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line.**

**"Snape's," said Harry. "What do we have to do?" They stepped over the threshold, and immediately a fire sprang up behind them in the doorway. It wasn't ordinary fire either; it was purple. At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward.**

**They were trapped.**

**"Look!" Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Harry looked over her shoulder to read it: Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind, Two of us will help you, which ever you would find, One among us seven will let you move ahead, Another will transport the drinker back instead, Two among our number hold only nettle wine, Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line. Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,**

**To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four: First, however slyly the poison tries to hide You will always find some on nettle wine's left side; Second, different are those who stand at either end, But if you would move onward, neither is your friend; Third, as you see clearly, all are different size, Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;**

**Fourth, the second left and the second on the right Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight. **

**Hermione let out a great sigh and Harry, amazed, saw that she was smiling, the very last thing he felt like doing.**

"Oh, she's certainly intelligent enough to figure this out, then." Lily clapped, laughing, while Hermione, Harry and James smiled and Sirius wagged his tail, barking.

**"Brilliant," said Hermione. "This isn't magic - it's logic - a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever."**

**"But so will we, won't we?" **

**"Of course not," said Hermione. "Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire, and one will get us back through the purple."**

**"But how do we know which to drink?"**

**"Give me a minute." Hermione read the paper several times. Then she walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she clapped her hands.**

**"Got it," she said. **

"Of course she does," Snape growls, annoyed.

**"The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire - toward the Stone." Harry looked at the tiny bottle.**

**"There's only enough there for one of us," he said. "That's hardly one swallow." They looked at each other.**

**"Which one will get you back through the purple flames?" Hermione pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line.**

**"You drink that," said Harry. "No, listen, get back and get Ron. Grab brooms from the flying- key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy - go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I'm no match for him, really."**

**"But Harry - what if You-Know-Who's with him?"**

**"Well - I was lucky once, wasn't I?" said Harry, pointing at his scar. "I might get lucky again." Hermione's lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at Harry and threw her**

**arms around him.**

"I was so worried for you, about you, Harry." Hermione said, her own lip trembling. Harry smiled at her lightly, rubbing his thumb along her hand, and Hermione let out a shaky smile before throwing her arms around him, causing everyone to either aw or laugh (except for Ginny, of course, who glared).

**"Hermione!"**

**"Harry - you're a great wizard, you know."**

**"I'm not as good as you," said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him.**

"It's true, 'Mione." Harry said.

**"Me!" said Hermione. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things - friendship and bravery and - oh Harry - be careful!"**

"Think she was going to say 'and love', Lily-flower?" Lily nodded vehemently, doing nothing but agreeing and imagining how cute the two of them would look together.

**"You drink first," said Harry. "You are sure which is which, aren't you?"**

**"Positive," said Hermione. She took a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shuddered.**

**"It's not poison?" said Harry anxiously.**

**"No - but it's like ice."**

**"Quick, go, before it wears off."**

**"Good luck - take care."**

"Hermione, GO!" Many people shouted.

**"GO!" Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire. Harry took a deep breath and picked up the smallest bottle. He turned to face the black flames.**

**"Here I come," he said, and he drained the little bottle in one gulp. It was indeed as though ice was flooding his body. He put the bottle down and walked forward; he braced himself, saw the black flames licking his body, but couldn't feel them - for a moment he could see nothing but dark fire - then he was on the other side, in the last chamber.**

**There was already someone there - but it wasn't Snape. It wasn't even Voldemort.**

"Huh?" Many people said, confused, while James and Lily bit their lips, Sirius growled and Remus sighed.

"Who wants to read next?" Kingsley asked. After a couple of minutes, Lily took out her wand, and let the book float to her. She quickly flipped through the pages, before sighing.

"It's the last chapter of the book."

"Any announcements you want to make, Albus?" James questioned before Lily began.

"Dinner will be served during this chapter, and afterwards, everyone will have some free time, and then go to bed. If anyone wants to talk to the professor about Muggle things, they can follow her afterwards. If it's me you wish to speak to, you can follow me to the staff room," He finished, looking at James and Lily, who only glared.

"Shall we begin then, Mrs. Potter?" Hermione asked and Lily smiled, nodding, but not before saying, "Please dear, call me Lily. It's obvious how close you and my son are," making the two teens blush and everyone laugh at their obviousness.


	18. Chapter 18

"**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, THE MAN WITH TWO FACES" **Lily started, grimacing at the title. Many others were just confused.

**It was Quirrell.**

"WHAT?" Many people shouted.

**"You!" gasped Harry. Quirrell smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all.**

**"Me," he said calmly. "I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter."**

"Where's his st-st-stutter?" George questioned, his head tilted.

**"But I thought - Snape -"**

**"Severus?" Quirrell laughed, and it wasn't his usual quivering treble, either, but cold and sharp. "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?" Harry couldn't take it in. This couldn't be true, it couldn't.**

**"But Snape tried to kill me!"**

**"No, no, no. I tried to kill you. Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a countercurse, trying to save you."**

**"Snape was trying to save me?"**

**"Of course," said Quirrell coolly. "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really... he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular... and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight." Quirrell snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Harry.**

Growls could be heard coming from around the room, and Sirius had stepped up, in a tense, attack mode, not liking his godson to be so close to danger.

**"You're too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone."**

**"You let the troll in?"**

**"Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls - you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off - and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly. Now, wait quietly, Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror." It was only then that Harry realized what was standing behind Quirrell. It was the Mirror of Erised.**

"Oy. Makes sense," James shrugged.

**"This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this... but he's in London... I'll be far away by the time he gets back..." All Harry could think of doing was to keep Quirrell talking and stop him from concentrating on the mirror.**

"Another good plan, Potter." Moody growled.

**"I saw you and Snape in the forest -" he blurted out.**

"Oh dear god. First Filch and Snape with Snape's robes up—"

"And then Snape and Quirrell in the forest—" George finished, cackling.

**"Yes," said Quirrell idly, walking around the mirror to look at the back. "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me - as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side..." Quirrell came back out from behind the mirror and stared hungrily into it.**

**"I see the Stone... I'm presenting it to my master... but where is it?" Harry struggled against the ropes binding him, but they didn't give. He had to keep Quirrell from giving his whole attention to the mirror.**

**"But Snape always seemed to hate me so much."**

**"Oh, he does," said Quirrell casually, "heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead."**

"Sureee," Harry grumbled, grinning.

**"But I heard you a few days ago, sobbing - I thought Snape was threatening you..." For the first time, a spasm of fear flitted across Quirrell's face.**

**"Sometimes," he said, "I find it hard to follow my master's instructions - he is a great wizard and I am weak -"**

**"You mean he was there in the classroom with you?" Harry gasped.**

"Of course, son, after all, he's _on_ Quirrell." James said quietly.

**"He is with me wherever I go," said Quirrell quietly. "I met him when I traveled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it... Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I**

**have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me." Quirrell shivered suddenly. "He does not forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. He punished me... decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me..." Quirrell's voice trailed away. Harry was remembering his trip to Diagon Alley -how could he have been so stupid? He'd seen Quirrell there that very day, shaken hands with him in the Leaky Cauldron. Quirrell cursed under his breath.**

**"I don't understand... is the Stone inside the mirror? Should I break it?" Harry's mind was racing. What I want more than anything else in the world at the moment, he thought, is to find the Stone before Quirrell does. So if I look in the mirror, I should see myself finding it - which means I'll see where it's hidden! But how can I look without Quirrell realizing what I'm up to? He tried to edge to the left, to get in front of the glass without Quirrell noticing, but the ropes around his ankles were too tight: he tripped and fell over. Quirrell ignored him. He was still talking to himself.**

**"What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!" And to Harry's horror, a voice answered, and the voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself**

**"Use the boy... Use the boy..." Quirrell rounded on Harry.**

Lily, who had been reading quite well, stuttered here, truly realizing just how much danger her son was in, alongside James. Sirius was still growling, which Amelia definitely took notice of, as did Fudge – but only because of its grim-like characteristics.

**"Yes - Potter - come here." He clapped his hands once, and the ropes binding Harry fell off. Harry got slowly to his feet.**

**"Come here," Quirrell repeated. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see." Harry walked toward him. I must lie, he thought desperately. I must look and lie about what I**

**see, that's all.**

"Yes, Potter, because The Dark Lord isn't a skilled Legillimens," Snape mumbled, with James arching an eyebrow.

**Quirrell moved close behind him. Harry breathed in the funny smell that seemed to come from Quirrell's turban. He closed his eyes, stepped in front of the mirror, and opened them again. He saw his reflection, pale and scared-looking at first. But a moment later, the reflection smiled at him. It put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket - and as it did so, Harry felt something heavy drop into his real pocket. Somehow - incredibly - he'd gotten the Stone.**

"Cool!" James said.

**"Well?" said Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?" Harry screwed up his courage.**

**"I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," he invented. "I - I've won the house cup for Gryffindor." Quirrell cursed again.**

**"Get out of the way," he said. As Harry moved aside, he felt the Sorcerer's Stone against his leg. Dare he make a break for it? But he hadn't walked five paces before a high voice spoke, though Quirrell wasn't moving his lips.**

**"He lies... He lies..."**

James shuddered, remembering that voice very easily.

**"Potter, come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell me the truth! What did you just see?"**

**The high voice spoke again. "Let me speak to him... face-to-face..."**

Lily's voice could barely be contained with her emotions breaking through.

**"Master, you are not strong enough!"**

**"I have strength enough... for this..." Harry felt as if Devil's Snare was rooting him to the spot. He couldn't move a muscle. Petrified, he watched as Quirrell reached up and began to**

**unwrap his turban. What was going on? The turban fell away. Quirrell's head looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly on the spot. Harry would have screamed, but he couldn't make a sound. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face Harry had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.**

"Oh-"

"Dear-"

"Merlin." The twins stated, realizing what was underneath that turban, what they were throwing snowballs at. They shuddered at the thought of it.

**"Harry Potter..." it whispered. Harry tried to take a step backward but his legs wouldn't move.**

**"See what I have become?" the face said. "Mere shadow and vapor ... I have form only when I can share another's body... but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds... Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks... you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest... and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own... Now... why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?" So he knew. The feeling suddenly surged back into Harry's legs. He stumbled backward.**

**"Don't be a fool," snarled the face. "Better save your own life and join me... or you'll meet the same end as your parents... They died begging me for mercy..."**

"We did no such thing," James said in a dead calm, as many people realized what a real semi-angry James Potter could look like.

"Yikes," Harry mumbled to Sirius who barked.

**"LIAR!" Harry shouted suddenly. Quirrell was walking backward at him, so that Voldemort could still see him. The evil face was now smiling.**

**"How touching..." it hissed. "I always value bravery... Yes, boy, your parents were brave... I killed your father first; and he put up a courageous fight... but your mother needn't have died... she was trying to protect you... Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have**

**died in vain."**

**"NEVER!"**

"You tell him, Harry."

**Harry sprang toward the flame door, but Voldemort screamed "SEIZE HIM!" and the next second, Harry felt Quirrell's hand close on his wrist. At once, a needle-sharp pain seared across Harry's scar;**

"What's going on Lily-flower?" James interrupted.

"Let me read, and we'll find out, Jamiepoo." Lily said in a sickening sweet voice that had James turning red and everyone else laughing at him

- **his head felt as though it was about to split in two; he yelled, struggling with all his might, and to his surprise, Quirrell let go of him. The pain in his head lessened - he looked around wildly to see where Quirrell had gone, and saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers - they were blistering before his eyes.**

"Huh."

**"Seize him! SEIZE HIM!" shrieked Voldemort again, and Quirrell lunged, knocking Harry clean off his feet' landing on top of him, both hands around Harry's neck - Harry's scar was almost blinding him with pain, yet he could see Quirrell howling in agony.**

**"Master, I cannot hold him - my hands - my hands!" And Quirrell, though pinning Harry to the ground with his knees, let go of his neck and stared, bewildered, at his own palms - Harry could see they looked burned, raw, red, and shiny.**

**"Then kill him, fool, and be done!" screeched Voldemort. Quirrell raised his hand to perform a deadly curse, but Harry, by instinct, reached up and grabbed Quirrell's face –**

**"AAAARGH!" Quirrell rolled off him, his face blistering, too, and then Harry knew:**

**Quirrell couldn't touch his bare skin, not without suffering terrible pain - his only chance was to keep hold of Quirrell, keep him in enough pain to stop him from doing a curse. **

**Harry jumped to his feet, caught Quirrell by the arm, and hung on as tight as he could. Quirrell screamed and tried to throw Harry off – the pain in Harry's head was building - he couldn't see - he could only hear Quirrell's terrible shrieks and Voldemort's yells of, **

**"KILL HIM! KILL HIM!" and other voices, maybe in Harry's own head, crying, "Harry!**

**Harry!"**

Many people flinched at this line and Hermione, having still been holding Harry's hand, squeezed it tighter than before.

**He felt Quirrell's arm wrenched from his grasp, knew all was lost, and fell into blackness, down ... down... down... Something gold was glinting just above him. The Snitch! He tried to catch it, but his arms were too heavy. He blinked. It wasn't the Snitch at all. It was a pair of glasses. How strange.**

James snorted.

**He blinked again. The smiling face of Albus Dumbledore swam into view above him.**

**"Good afternoon, Harry," said Dumbledore. Harry stared at him. Then he remembered: "Sir! The Stone! It was Quirrell! He's got the Stone! Sir, quick -"**

**"Calm yourself, dear boy, you are a little behind the times," said Dumbledore. "Quirrell does not have the Stone."**

**"Then who does? Sir, I -"**

**"Harry, please relax, or Madam Pomfrey will have me thrown out." Harry swallowed and looked around him. He realized he must be in the hospital wing. He was lying in a bed with white linen sheets, and next to him was a table piled high with what looked like half the candy shop.**

**"Tokens from your friends and admirers," said Dumbledore, beaming. "What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows. I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a toilet seat. No doubt they thought it would amuse you. Madam Pomfrey, however, felt it might not be very hygienic, and confiscated it."**

Many people laughed, and Harry grinned before turning towards the twins.

"I'm still expecting to see it at one point, Weasleys."

**"How long have I been in here?"**

**"Three days. Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Granger will be most relieved you have come round, they have been extremely worried."**

"Hermione especially," Ron grumbled, causing Hermione to hit him on the arm.

**"But sir, the Stone"**

"**I see you are not to be distracted. Very well, the Stone. Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. I arrived in time to prevent that, although you were doing very well on your own, I must say."**

**"You got there? You got Hermione's owl?"**

**"We must have crossed in midair. No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I arrived just in time to pull Quirrell off you."**

**"It was you."**

**"I feared I might be too late."**

**"You nearly were, I couldn't have kept him off the Stone much longer -"**

**"Not the Stone, boy, you - the effort involved nearly killed you. For one terrible moment there, I was afraid it had. As for the Stone, it has been destroyed."**

"I think he was afraid his pawn in this big chess game was gone, and he'd have to find someone else to use." Harry grumbled, still pissed off at Albus, not knowing just how much angrier he'd get one the books progressed.

**"Destroyed?" said Harry blankly. "But your friend - Nicolas Flamel -"**

**"Oh, you know about Nicolas?" said Dumbledore, sounding quite delighted.**

**"You did do the thing properly, didn't you? Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat, and agreed it's all for the best."**

**"But that means he and his wife will die, won't they?"**

**"They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die."**

**Dumbledore smiled at the look of amazement on Harry's face.**

**"To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day. After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all - the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them." Harry lay there, lost for words. Dumbledore hummed a little and smiled at the ceiling.**

**"Sir?" said Harry. "I've been thinking... sir - even if the Stone's gone, Vol-, I mean, You-Know- Who -"**

**"Call him Voldemort, Harry. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself."**

**"Yes, sir. Well, Voldemort's going to try other ways of coming back, isn't he? I mean, he hasn't gone, has he?"**

**"No, Harry, he has not. He is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share... not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. Nevertheless, Harry, while you may only have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time - and if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power." Harry nodded, but stopped quickly, because it made his head hurt. Then**

**he said, "Sir, there are some other things I'd like to know, if you can tell me... things I want to know the truth about..."**

**"The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you'll forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie."**

**"Well... Voldemort said that he only killed my mother because she tried to stop him from killing me. But why would he want to kill me in the first place?" Dumbledore sighed very deeply this time.**

**"Alas, the first thing you ask me, I cannot tell you. Not today. Not now. You will know, one day... put it from your mind for now, Harry. When you are older... I know you hate to hear this... when you are ready, you will know." And Harry knew it would be no good to argue.**

Lily stopped reading at this point, her face showing just how angry she was. It was enough that both James and Snape scooted away from her, and when she turned towards Albus, he could tell instantly just how angry she was.

"We will be talking, after this is done, about how my son _deserves _to know about the prophecy and his involvement, because by the look of god damn confusion and anger on his face, he doesn't know." She snarled, before continuing with the book.

**"But why couldn't Quirrell touch me?"**

**"Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign... to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good." Dumbledore now became very interested in a bird out on the windowsill, which gave Harry time to dry his eyes on the sheet. When he had found his voice again, Harry said, "And the invisibility cloak - do you know who sent it to me?"**

**"Ah - your father happened to leave it in my possession, and I thought you might like it."**

"But I did not leave it in your possession, Albus. I left it in Sirius' possession." James growled, extremely pissed off.

**Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Useful things... your father used it mainly for sneaking off to the kitchens to steal food when he was here."**

**"And there's something else..."**

**"Fire away."**

**"Quirrell said Snape -"**

**"Professor Snape, Harry." **

"Like I'll ever respect him enough to call him _Professor_," Harry grumbled, rolling his eyes as James and Lily thought the same thing.

**"Yes, him - Quirrell said he hates me because he hated my father. Is that true?" **

**"Well, they did rather detest each other. Not unlike yourself and Mr. Malfoy. And then, your father did something Snape could never forgive."**

**"What?"**

**"He saved his life."**

"He did no such thing!" Snape snarled.

"Lay off it, Severus. We know I did." James replied, smirking.

**"What?"**

**"Yes..." said Dumbledore dreamily. "Funny, the way people's minds work, isn't it? Professor Snape couldn't bear being in your father's debt... I do believe he worked so hard to protect you this year because he felt that would make him and your father even. Then he could go back to hating your father's memory in peace..." Harry tried to understand this but it made his head pound, so he stopped.**

**"And sir, there's one more thing..."**

**"Just the one?"**

**"How did I get the Stone out of the mirror?"**

**"Ah, now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something. You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone - find it, but not use it - would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life. My brain surprises even me sometimes... Now, enough questions. I suggest you make a start on these sweets. Ah! Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit flavored one, and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them - but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you?"He smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth. Then he**

**choked and said, "Alas! Ear wax!"**

Everyone laughed, and Remus snorted, thinking the old coot deserved it.

**Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was a nice woman, but very strict.**

**"Just five minutes," Harry pleaded.**

**"Absolutely not."**

**"You let Professor Dumbledore in..."**

**"Well, of course, that was the headmaster, quite different. You need rest."**

**"I am resting, look, lying down and everything. Oh, go on, Madam Pomfrey..."**

**"Oh, very well," she said. "But five minutes only." And she let Ron and Hermione in.**

**"Harry!" Hermione looked ready to fling her arms around him again, but Harry was**

**glad she held herself in as his head was still very sore.**

Hermione blushed, while Harry grinned.

**"Oh, Harry, we were sure you were going to - Dumbledore was so worried -"**

**"The whole school's talking about it," said Ron. "What really happened?" It was one of those rare occasions when the true story is even more strange and exciting than the wild rumors. Harry told them everything: Quirrell; the mirror; the Stone; and Voldemort. Ron and Hermione were a very good audience; they gasped in all the right places, and when Harry told them what was under Quirrell's turban, Hermione screamed out loud.**

**"So the Stone's gone?" said Ron finally. "Flamel's just going to die?"**

**"That's what I said, but Dumbledore thinks that - what was it? - 'to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."**

**"I always said he was off his rocker," said Ron, looking quite impressed at how crazy his hero was.**

**"So what happened to you two?" said Harry.**

**"Well, I got back all right," said Hermione. "I brought Ron round - that took a while - and we were dashing up to the owlery to contact Dumbledore when we met him in the entrance hall - he already knew – he just said, 'Harry's gone after him, hasn't he?' and hurtled off to the third floor."**

**"D'you think he meant you to do it?" said Ron. "Sending you your father's cloak and everything?"**

"Yes." Harry said, loud and clear, causing Albus to look up in shock.

**"Well, " Hermione exploded, "if he did - I mean to say that's terrible - you could have been killed."**

**"No, it isn't," said Harry thoughtfully. "He's a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know. I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don't think it was an accident he let me find out how the mirror worked. It's almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could..."**

**"Yeah, Dumbledore's off his rocker, all right," said Ron proudly. "Listen, you've got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. The points are all in and Slytherin won, of course - you missed the last Quidditch match, we were steamrollered by Ravenclaw without you – but the food'll be good."**

**At that moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled over. "You've had nearly fifteen minutes, now OUT" she said firmly. **

**After a good night's sleep, Harry felt nearly back to normal.**

"**I want to go to the feast," he told Madam Pomfrey as she straightened his many candy boxes. I can, can't I?"**

**"Professor Dumbledore says you are to be allowed to go," she said stiffly, as though in her opinion Professor Dumbledore didn't realize how risky feasts could be. "And you have another visitor."**

**"Oh, good," said Harry. "Who is it?"**

**Hagrid sidled through the door as he spoke. As usual when he was indoors, Hagrid looked too big to be allowed. He sat down next to Harry, took one look at him, and burst into tears.**

**"It's - all - my - ruddy - fault!" he sobbed, his face in his hands. I told the evil git how ter get past Fluffy! I told him! It was the only thing he didn't know, an' I told him! Yeh could've died! All fer a dragon egg! I'll never drink again! I should be chucked out an' made ter live as a Muggle!"**

**"Hagrid!" said Harry, shocked to see Hagrid shaking with grief and remorse, great tears leaking down into his beard. "Hagrid, he'd have found out somehow, this is Voldemort we're talking about, he'd have found out even if you hadn't told him."**

**"Yeh could've died!" sobbed Hagrid. "An' don' say the name!"**

**"VOLDEMORT!" Harry bellowed, and Hagrid was so shocked, he stopped crying. "I've met him and I'm calling him by his name. Please cheer up, Hagrid, we saved the Stone, it's gone, he can't use it. Have a Chocolate Frog, I've got loads..." Hagrid wiped his nose on the back of his hand and said, "That reminds me. I've got yeh a present."**

**"It's not a stoat sandwich, is it?" said Harry anxiously, and at last Hagrid gave a weak chuckle. "Nah. Dumbledore gave me the day off yesterday ter fix it. 'Course, he shoulda sacked me instead - anyway, got yeh this..." It seemed to be a handsome, leather-covered book. Harry opened it curiously. It was full of wizard photographs. Smiling and waving at him from every page were his mother and father.**

Lily stopped reading, set the book down, and then ran to Hagrid and hugged him tightly, sobbing into him while thanking him.

**"Sent owls off ter all yer parents' old school friends, askin' fer photos... knew yeh didn' have any... d'yeh like it?" Harry couldn't speak, but Hagrid understood. **

**Harry made his way down to the end-of-year feast alone that night. He had been held up by Madam Pomfrey's fussing about, insisting on giving him one last checkup, so the Great Hall was already full. It was decked out in the Slytherin colors of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's winning the house cup for the seventh year in a row. A huge banner**

**showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table. When Harry walked in there was a sudden hush, and then everybody started talking loudly at once. He slipped into a seat between Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table and tried to ignore the fact that people were standing up to look at him.**

**Fortunately, Dumbledore arrived moments later. The babble died away.**

**"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts...**

**"Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy- two."**

**A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Harry could see Draco Malfoy banging his goblet on the table. It was a sickening sight.**

**"Yes, Yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account." The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faded a little.**

**"Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes...**

**"First - to Mr. Ronald Weasley..." Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with a bad sunburn. "...for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points." Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver. Percy could be heard telling the other prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"**

**At last there was silence again. "Second - to Miss Hermione Granger... for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points." Hermione buried her face in her arms; Harry strongly suspected she had burst into tears. Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves - they were a hundred points up. "Third - to Mr. Harry**

**Potter..." said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points." The din was deafening. Those who could add up while yelling themselves hoarse knew that Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy-two points - exactly the same as Slytherin. They had tied for the house cup - if**

**only Dumbledore had given Harry just one more point. Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent. **

**"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."**

James cheered, and Neville looked down and smiled, remembering how embarrassed he was during this feast.

**Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood up to yell and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him. He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor before.**

**Harry, still cheering, nudged Ron in the ribs and pointed at Malfoy, who couldn't have looked more stunned and horrified if he'd just had the Body-Bind Curse put on him.**

**"Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, "we need a little change of decoration." He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet**

**and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place. Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall's hand, with a horrible, forced smile. He caught Harry's eye and Harry knew at once that Snape's feelings toward him hadn't changed one jot. This didn't worry Harry. It seemed as though life would be back to normal next year, or as normal as it ever was at Hogwarts. It was the best evening of Harry's life, better than winning at Quidditch, or Christmas, or knocking out mountain trolls... he would never, ever forget tonight.**

**Harry had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come, but come they did. To their great surprise, both he and Ron passed with good marks; Hermione, of course, had the best grades of the first years. Even Neville scraped through, his good Herbology mark making up for his abysmal Potions one. They had hoped that Goyle, who was almost as stupid as he was mean, might be thrown out, but he had passed, too. It was a shame, but as Ron said, you couldn't have everything in life. And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed, Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets; notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays ("I always hope they'll forget to give us these," said Fred Weasley sadly); Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake; they were boarding the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier;**

**eating Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans as they sped past Muggle towns; pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats; pulling into platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station. It took quite a while for them all to get off the platform. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting them go through the gate in twos and threes so they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the Muggles.**

**"You must come and stay this summer," said Ron, "both of you - I'll send you an owl."**

**"Thanks," said Harry, "I'll need something to look forward to." People jostled them as they moved forward toward the gateway back to the Muggle world. Some of them called:**

**"Bye, Harry!"**

**"See you, Potter!"**

**"Still famous," said Ron, grinning at him.**

**"Not where I'm going, I promise you," said Harry. He, Ron, and Hermione passed through the gateway together. "There he is, Mom, there he is, look!" It was Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, but she wasn't pointing at Ron.**

**"Harry Potter!" she squealed. "Look, Mom! I can see"**

Ginny blushed and Harry looked at Hermione and Ron, rolling his eyes before smirking at them as they laughed.

**"Be quiet, Ginny, and it's rude to point." Mrs. Weasley smiled down at them.**

**"Busy year?" she said.**

**"Very," said Harry. "Thanks for the fudge and the sweater, Mrs. Weasley."**

**"Oh, it was nothing, dear."**

**"Ready, are you?" It was Uncle Vernon, still purple-faced, still mustached, still looking**

**furious at the nerve of Harry, carrying an owl in a cage in a station full of ordinary people. Behind him stood Aunt Petunia and Dudley, looking terrified at the very sight of Harry.**

**"You must be Harry's family!" said Mrs. Weasley.**

**"In a manner of speaking," said Uncle Vernon. "Hurry up, boy, we haven't got all day." He walked away. Harry hung back for a last word with Ron and Hermione.**

James and Sirius growled

**"See you over the summer, then."**

**"Hope you have - er - a good holiday," said Hermione, looking uncertainly after Uncle Vernon, shocked that anyone could be so unpleasant.**

**"Oh, I will," said Harry, and they were surprised at the grin that was spreading over his face. "They don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home. I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer..."**

James snorted.

**THE END**

The great hall burst into noise as Lily read that last sentence, and when Albus stood up, it quieted immediately.

"Like I said before the start of this chapter – for those wanting to know more about muggle items, please follow the professor through the great hall doors. If you would like to talk to me, follow me through to the staff room. Until then, you have an hour of free time before you must be in your dormitories." He finished, clapping his hands, as many people split off into groups.

More than half the room went to follow the muggle studies professor, while others went to have some free time. Harry and his friends, including Fred and George, stayed in the great hall. Harry, because he wanted to be able to spend time with his family, and Fred and George, because they wanted to be there for their quasi-family.

Ten minutes later, after Amelia and Fudge, and Umbridge left to follow Dumbledore, Sirius transformed into his regular form, as James and Lily made their way over to the group.

"Hey Sirius," Lily said, reaching her hand out, wanting to hug the man. Sirius smiled grimly at them both, tears leaking out of his eyes. Harry, having watched this, was admittedly nervous.

"Where are you in these stories, Paddy?" James questioned, and Sirius looked down.

"Can't tell ya, mate. Not yet."

James sighed, before looking at his son and smiling.

"You really do look like me." Harry smiled back, before reaching his own hand out. Anyone in the room could tell instantly how badly all of them wanted the contact, but they all sighed, pulling their hands away.

"Your bond with Snuffles—" James grinned, "Is obviously strong." Sirius snorted, before pulling Harry to him and ruffling his hair.

Lily, having looked at Hermione, smiled.

"You like my son." It wasn't a question, which Hermione knew. She nodded her head.

"A lot,"

"Good. He'll need you."

Time seemed to fly for the group, and soon, the hour was up. Sirius had transformed once more, and the group made their way up to the dorms, Snuffles included, so that they could all get a good night's rest, knowing they'll be reading the second book bright and early tomorrow morning.


	19. Chapter 19

The next morning had James, Lily and Sirius all waking up early, at around the same time, for the same reason. The quickly ate their breakfasts, all wanting to go up to the Headmaster's office as soon as possible. They knew Albus wanted them to go yesterday night but they were not James and Lily Potter (and Sirius Black) for no good old reason.

They were going to spend time with their son and his friends, first, learning everything they possibly could about him. And they had to admit, they learned so much more than what the books told them about.

After they had their breakfast, the three of them slowly made their way to Albus' office, the walk a familiar one for James and Sirius, who could only grin at one another. However, as their walking led them closer to the office, their grins slowly faded, as their thoughts turned to the questions they had to ask.

For Lily, her questions were simple: Why my sisters, why not Sirius? Why does Harry show such power in the books, but yet in his classes, show nothing? Why does he not know about his heritage, his family, his _world_? As the questions came and came, the angrier the mother became, not wanting the answers, for fear of already knowing them, but needing them all the same.

For James, his questions were a little more different. Why did Albus have his cloak when he shouldn't? Why did Remus or Sirius not contact Harry? Did Harry know about the real vault, with all of the Potter items inside of it? Did Albus check on Harry, or was he really that daft?

For Sirius, the questions were plenty, and worrisome for anyone looking into his mind. Why did Harry not know about the prophecy when he should, why was he able to fight Voldemort so many times – which just brought on the question as to how Voldemort could have entered the castle so many times, when it's apparently, the safest place next to Gringotts – why did Albus not do anything to help Sirius, knowing that he was innocent, as he surely must've known about their animagi capabilities. Was Albus really daft enough to allow so many dementors on the school ground? Or host the twiwizard tournament, especially since it's been banned.

Each person had so many questions, and wanted the answers as soon as possible, which is why they had made their way to the headmaster's office. Before they realized it, they were at the opening to the office, and Dumbledore was waiting there for them.

"I've been expecting you," He said, the twinkle in his eyes gone, "Follow me."

It took another five minutes for the group of them to truly make it to the office, and not just the hallway. Once they had arrived, they had seen the chairs set for all three of them, and one look at Albus, who was about to ask them to, 'please, sit' and he abruptly shut his mouth with an audible snap.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Albus." Lily growled, her fists clenching in anger. Her eyes, the beautiful emerald green that they were, were clouded with anger, making them a much darker shade of emerald, and which normal people would step back from. Albus, however, was anything but normal.

"My dear Lily, it's all very simple."

"Oh really? So you, basically kidnapping my son, carting him off to relatives who would emotionally abuse him, making sure no one that matters checks on him and ignoring him, is simple?"

"You see—"

"Or how about, how about, you did all this, because maybe you figured he would believe that he would owe you something for taking him away from the Dursley's, and therefore, would do anything you asked him to, or feel the need to side with you constantly. After all, it is what you did with everyone else," James snarled, also angry.

"And let's not get started on what you put me through Albus." Sirius snarled also, "Twelve years, and I won't get into anymore, because it'll spoil everything for Prongs and Mrs. Prongs, but twelve years Albus, despite the fact that you must have known the truth." Albus had remained quiet through the threes tirade, trying to find a way to place the blame somewhere else, but not making it seem more suspicious.

"Or how about the fact that you hired a teacher that you bloody well knew would be completely unfair towards Harry the moment he walked through the doors because of his history with Harry's actual relatives?" Lily shouted, still angry enough to be wanting to burst with all of her questions.

"Well?" James said, his fists tight.

Albus was luckily enough, saved by the door opening and someone talking. From the sound of it, it was Dolores and Cornelius and looking caught, Sirius quickly turned into Snuffles and walked towards James, so he could act like a normal dog. Not even minutes later did the two people from the ministry come in, alongside a silent Amelia Bones.

"Albus, most of the students are awake, and want to read the second book. Would you like to keep them waiting, or shall we go down?" Amelia questioned, looking over her list, which Albus tried to peek into. However, being a skilled legillimens herself, she stopped him and glared.

"We shall," He replied, nodding, while letting out a sigh and clasping his hands together. "I shall follow you all out," He said, somehow, the twinkle back in his eye. Amelia nodded, and the three ministry workers walked out while James and Lily stayed, glaring at Albus.

"This isn't over, Albus. If we find anything else to add to our list—"

"List?"

"Yes, Albus, list." James snarled, "We will come see you, angrier than we are right now." Lily finished in a snap before turning around and walking away briskly, with James and Sirius following.

Albus sighed, before going down.

* * *

**Authors Note: **I just want to let you guys know, the second book _**will**_be posted in this story. As will the third, the fourth, and the fifth. There won't be a new story per book. Everything will be in a continued story, so you won't have to keep checking my page for information (unless you want to.)

As for the second book, I'm just starting to type up the first chapter, but it's going to be a little slow going, because I think I might make an update website and posting website for this, as it's kind of tedious on LJ. Any good places you think I should go use? Let me know. :)

Also, don't forget, if you've got a tumblr, follow the "stelladelnordxd" tag. :)


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: **I just want to thank everyone who reviewed. A few people asked me about how Lily can hug Hagrid but not Harry, and it wasn't a mistake, it's meant to be there, it's important to the story. Remember that ;)

Anyways, I present to you the next five chapters, because I don't know when I'm going to update next, and my computer's been annoying me lately. I need a new one already. And then I was sick, so I did nothing, then the AC broke in our house, and it became too hot. Anywhos. Enjoy. :)

* * *

Within minutes, Albus Dumbledore had made his way to the Great Hall, and had taken his seat at the Head Table. He couldn't help but notice that while Lily still sat beside him, her chair was scooted more towards James than being an equal distance away from the both of them. James' chair was also close to his wife, with his arm slung around her. Next to him was Severus, who was still wearing a grimace whenever he looked at the couple, which was all too often for his liking. Next to Severus was Hagrid, at the end of the table. To Albus' right was Minerva, who was also very angry with him and had moved his chair, and then Fillius, Pomona, Poppy, Madam Hooch, and lastly, Cuthbert, though he was currently dosing and the Professor at the very end of the table.

He also couldn't help but notice that instead of having a small table in front of the Great Table, that Dolores, Percy, Cornelius and Amelia had a small table to the side of them. That way, they were still able to look around at everyone, and keep an eye on everything.

When Albus looked at the house tables, he noticed that on one side of the Gryffindor table were the twins, with Bill, Charlie, Arthur and Lavender to their right, and their sister and mother to their left. Across from them was Neville, with Ron next to him on his right, then Hermione, with Harry ending it. Sirius was next to Harry, with his head on Harry's thigh, and Remus was behind the two of them, his ankles crossed over one another. Scattered around the rest of the table was Dean and Seamus, and oddly enough, Rita Skeeter. Nymphadora sat at the Hufflepuff table, in the middle of Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones, with Ernie and Justin sitting across from her. He noticed that Kingsley sat at the Ravenclaw table, next to Cho. Lastly, when he looked toward the Slytherin table, he saw the Lucius was sitting with his son Draco, who had Crabbe and Goyle next to him, and bringing up the end, Viktor Krum, who looked disdained at having to sit near them. Across from Draco was his mother, Narcissa, who looked very angry still. He grimaced, knowing he didn't want to be a Malfoy at that point in time.

He cleared his throat softly, with a twinkle in his eyes, and was surprised to see that he was receiving many glares from many different people. It caused him to pause, and before he began, he realized he would definitely need to do some damage control before everyone left for good. He knew it was going to be tricky, already having to do enough with the Potter's, but he would go on, as he was the leader of the light.

_Hem Hem_, he heard, and grimaced himself before looking towards Dolores, who had a smirk on her face.

"The next book is called, _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_. We will read it today." She stated, and Albus couldn't help but look towards Harry to see the emotions on his face play out. However, before he could catch the emotions play out on his face, another letter floated its way down to Amelia.

_Dear Everyone,_

_You are all doing very well the readings. We are all very proud with the fact that you have gone through one book so far._

_You are receiving this letter for a few reiterations, or, things for you to remember._

_Number one, nothing can happen to any of the students, people, and belongings, as this has all been in the past. Which means, no taking away or giving points, no giving detentions, stealing items or arresting people._

_Number two, while we love the idea of all of you writing notes, please be careful with what you write down. We would not want you to write something down and then have to take it away because you are getting too close to the truth, or something equal to that._

_Lastly, if you read a chapter yesterday, you are not allowed to read a chapter today unless everyone that has yet to read, has read._

_We hope you have a good day,_

_Your Friends._

After reading the letter, the Great Hall was completely quiet, until Albus sighed.

"Well, who wants to read the first chapter, then?" He questioned, floating the book away from him. After a few minutes, he saw that the book had floated towards Fillius.

"I shall, Headmaster," He stated, grabbing the book and opening it rather excitedly so.


	21. Chapter 21

"**CHAPTER**** ONE, The Worst Birthday" **Fillius started, sighing as he realized that Harry would be back at those dreadful Dursley's once more. Obviously, he wasn't the only one who noticed, as nearly everyone sat up straighter at this sentence.

**Not for the first time, an argument had broken out over breakfast at number four, Privet Drive. **

"Are there always arguments between Petunia and Vernon, dear?" Lily asked, looking at Harry, who blushed at the endearment before looking down, and telling the professor to keep reading, as that would answer her question.

**Mr. Vernon Dursley had been woken in the early hours of the morning by a loud, hooting noise from his nephew Harry's room.**

"Oh. So the arguments are between you and Vernon. Assholes," Lily mumbled, crossing her arms.

"**Third time this week!" he roared across the table. "If you can't control that owl, it'll have to go!" **

**Harry tried, yet again, to explain. "She's **_**bored**_**," he said. "She's used to flying around outside. If I could just let her out at night -" **

"**Do I look stupid?" snarled Uncle Vernon, a bit of fried egg dangling from his bushy mustache.**

"Do you really want me to answer that?" James snapped, his fists clenched.

"Of course not, mate, he's too stupid to know what an answer is," Remus smirked.

"**I know what'll happen if that owl's let out." He exchanged dark looks with his wife, Petunia. Harry tried to argue back but his words were drowned by a long, loud belch from the Dursleys' son, Dudley. **

"Gross," Ginny muttered.

"**I want more bacon." **

"And where are your manners?" Lily asked, rolling her eyes.

"**There's more in the frying pan, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia, turning misty eyes on her massive son. "We must build you up while we've got the chance… I don't like the sound of that school food…" **

"**Nonsense, Petunia, I never went hungry when **_**I **_**was at Smeltings," said Uncle Vernon heartily. "Dudley gets enough, don't you, son?" Dudley, who was so large his bottom drooped over either side of the kitchen chair, grinned and turned to Harry. **

"That's just disgusting!" Minerva interrupted, her face set in a scowl at the wording and the imagery.

"**Pass the frying pan." **

"You've forgotten the magic word," James snapped, his own arms crossed as he rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe that Harry had to live with these people.

"**You've forgotten the magic word," said Harry irritably.**

"That's right Harry, you tell 'em!"

**The effect of this simple sentence on the rest of the family was incredible: Dudley gasped and fell off his chair with a crash that shook the whole kitchen; **

"EARTHQUAKE!" The twins shouted while many people laughed.

**Mrs. Dursley gave a small scream and clapped her hands to her mouth; Mr. Dursley jumped to his feet, veins throbbing in his temples. **

"**I meant 'please'!" said Harry quickly. "I didn't mean —" **

"Why are they making such a big deal about it?" Tonks asked, confusion written on her face, 'It's obvious he meant please. Why don't they see that?"

"**WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU," thundered his uncle, spraying spit over the table, "ABOUT SAYING THE 'M' WORD IN OUR HOUSE?" **

"They act like it's a bad word," Justin mumbled.

"That's because, to them, it is." Harry stated, sighing.

"**But I —" **

"**HOW DARE YOU THREATEN DUDLEY!" roared Uncle Vernon, pounding the table with his fist. **

"It wasn't a threat, Dursley." Lily said, her eyebrow arched.

"**I just —" **

"**I WARNED YOU! I WILL NOT TOLERATE MENTION OF YOUR ABNORMALITY UNDER THIS ROOF!"**

"He is not abnormal!" Hermione shouted her face red and her hand clenched around her wand.

**Harry stared from his purple-faced uncle to his pale aunt, who was trying to heave Dudley to his feet. **

"**All right," said Harry, "**_**all right**_**…" Uncle Vernon sat back down, breathing like a winded rhinoceros and watching Harry closely out of the corners of his small, sharp eyes. Ever since Harry had come home for the summer holidays, Uncle Vernon had been treating him like a bomb that might go off at any moment, because Harry Potter **_**wasn't **_**a normal boy. As a matter of fact, he was as not normal as it is possible to be. **

"He's very normal, thank you very much," Minerva interrupted, sharply.

**Harry Potter was a wizard — a wizard fresh from his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And if the Dursleys were unhappy to have him back for the holidays, it was nothing to how Harry felt. **

"And boy, do we feel the same way," James muttered.

**He missed Hogwarts so much it was like having a constant stomachache. He missed the castle, with its secret passageways and ghosts, his classes (though perhaps not Snape, the Potions master), **

James snorted as Snape glared

- **the mail arriving by owl, eating banquets in the Great Hall, sleeping in his four-poster bed in the tower dormitory, visiting the gamekeeper, Hagrid, in his cabin next to the Forbidden Forest in the grounds, and, especially, Quidditch, the most popular sport in the wizarding world (six tall goal posts, four flying balls, and fourteen players on broomsticks). **

I know the feeling, pup, Sirius thought, whining a little. Harry, having heard this, began petting his godfather.

**All Harry's spellbooks, his wand, robes, cauldron, and top-of-the-line Nimbus Two Thousand broomstick had been locked in a cupboard under the stairs by Uncle Vernon the instant Harry had come home. **

"But how is he to do his homework? Or have fun?" Hermione questioned, squeezing Harry's hand to calm herself down.

**What did the Dursleys care if Harry lost his place on the House Quidditch team because he hadn't practiced all summer?**

"You're too much of a natural, son," James interrupted, smiling.

**What was it to the Dursleys if Harry went back to school without any of his homework done? The Dursleys were what wizards called Muggles (not a drop of magical blood in their veins), and as far as they were concerned, having a wizard in the family was a matter of deepest shame. **

Sirius could be heard growling, thinking about how much the Dursley's reminded him of his own family.

**Uncle Vernon had even padlocked Harry's owl, Hedwig, inside her cage, to stop her from carrying messages to anyone in the wizarding world. **

"That's cruelty to animals!" Luna Lovegood said, a hint of anger in her otherwise calm voice.

**Harry looked nothing like the rest of the family. **

"Thank Merlin for that," Dean muttered, grinning.

**Uncle Vernon was large and neckless, with an enormous black mustache; Aunt Petunia was horse-faced and bony; Dudley was blond, pink, and porky. **

"A family of animals, basically," Lily laughed, shaking her head.

**Harry, on the other hand, was small and skinny, with brilliant green eyes and jet-black hair that was always untidy. **

"The curse of the Potter hair," James interrupted, shaking his own head and running his fingers through his own hair as a joke.

**He wore round glasses, and on his forehead was a thin, lightning-shaped scar. It was this scar that made Harry so particularly unusual, even for a wizard. This scar was the only hint of Harry's very mysterious past, of the reason he had been left on the Dursleys' doorstep eleven years before. **

Sirius could be heard growling once more and Harry grinned lightly.

**At the age of one year old, Harry had somehow survived a curse from the greatest Dark sorcerer of all time, Lord Voldemort, whose name most witches and wizards still feared to speak. Harry's parents had died in Voldemort's attack, but Harry had escaped with his lightning scar, and somehow — nobody understood why —Voldemort's powers had been destroyed the instant he had failed to kill Harry. So Harry had been brought up by his dead mother's sister and her husband. He had spent ten years with the Dursleys, never understanding why he kept making odd things happen without meaning to, believing the Dursleys' story that he had got his scar in the car crash that had killed his parents. **

While many people flinched at the name of Voldemort, Lily glared at the book, making Fillius a little uncomfortable.

**And then, exactly a year ago, Hogwarts had written to Harry, and the whole story had come out. Harry had taken up his place at wizard school, where he and his scar were famous… but now the school year was over, and he was back with the Dursleys for the summer, back to being treated like a dog that had rolled in something smelly. **

Sirius barked at this and wagged his tail while Harry laughed and hugged his godfather.

**The Dursleys hadn't even remembered that today happened to be Harry's twelfth birthday. **

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!" The twins yelled, shooting sprinkles out of their wands, as Harry laughed some more.

**Of course, his hopes hadn't been high; they'd never given him a real present, let alone a cake — but to ignore it completely… **

**At that moment, Uncle Vernon cleared his throat importantly and said, "Now, as we all know, today is a very important day." **

"Are they serious?" Lily asked. Sirius barked and Lily laughed before sticking her tongue out at the dog, making many people confused as Amelia just wrote some more on her parchment.

**Harry looked up, hardly daring to believe it. **

"**This could well be the day I make the biggest deal of my career," said Uncle Vernon. Harry went back to his toast. **_**Of course**_**, he thought bitterly, **_**Uncle Vernon was talking about the stupid dinner party**_**. He'd been talking of nothing else for two weeks. Some rich builder and his wife were coming to dinner and Uncle Vernon was hoping to get a huge order from him (Uncle Vernon's company made drills). **

"**I think we should run through the schedule one more time," said Uncle Vernon. "We should all be in position at eight o'clock. Petunia, you will be —?" **

"**In the lounge," said Aunt Petunia promptly, "waiting to welcome them graciously to our home." **

"**Good, good. And Dudley?" **

"**I'll be waiting to open the door." Dudley put on a foul, simpering smile. "May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?" **

"**They'll **_**love **_**him!" cried Aunt Petunia rapturously. **

James snorted at this line.

"**Excellent, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon. Then he rounded on Harry. "And **_**you**_**?" **

"**I'll be in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending I'm not there," said Harry tonelessly. **

"**Exactly," said Uncle Vernon nastily. **

James glared, Lily hissed and Sirius growled while Remus bit his lip, angry with the Dursley's for being horrible to his cub.

"**I will lead them into the lounge, introduce you, Petunia, and pour them drinks. At eight-fifteen —" **

"**I'll announce dinner," said Aunt Petunia. **

"**And, Dudley, you'll say —" **

"**May I take you through to the dining room, Mrs. Mason?" said Dudley, offering his fat arm to an invisible woman. **

"**My perfect little gentleman!" sniffed Aunt Petunia. **

Another snort from James at this line, causing Lily to snort in return.

"**And **_**you**_**?" said Uncle Vernon viciously to Harry. **

"He has a name you barbaric dunderhead." Hermione growled.

"**I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I'm not there," said Harry dully. **

"**Precisely. Now, we should aim to get in a few good compliments at dinner. Petunia, any ideas?" **

"**Vernon tells me you're a **_**wonderful **_**golfer, Mr. Mason… **_**Do **_**tell me where you bought your dress, Mrs. Mason…" **

"Yugh," Lily said, arching her body away for a brief moment.

"**Perfect… Dudley?" **

"**How about —'We had to write an essay about our hero at school, Mr. Mason, and I wrote about **_**you**_**.'"**

James burst out into laugher at this, finding the asskissing to be too much.

**This was too much for both Aunt Petunia and Harry. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and hugged her son, while Harry ducked under the table so they wouldn't see him laughing. **

"**And you, boy?" Harry fought to keep his face straight as he emerged. "I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I'm not there," he said. **

"**Too right, you will." said Uncle Vernon forcefully. "The Masons don't know anything about you and it's going to stay that way. When dinner's over, you take Mrs. Mason back to the lounge for coffee, Petunia, and I'll bring the subject around to drills. With any luck, I'll have the deal signed and sealed before the news at ten. Be shopping for a vacation home in Majorca this time tomorrow." Harry couldn't feel too excited about this. He didn't think the Dursleys would like him any better in Majorca than they did on Privet Drive. **

The laughter that had earlier erupted in the great hall suddenly stopped, and everyone started looking at Harry with pity. Harry, not liking the glances, buried his face in Sirius' fur and giggled a little as the fur tickled his nose.

"**Right — I'm off into town to pick up the dinner jackets for Dudley and me. And **_**you**_**," he snarled at Harry. "You stay out of your aunt's way while she's cleaning." Harry left through the back door. It was a brilliant, sunny day. He crossed the lawn, slumped down on the garden bench, and sang under his breath: **

"**Happy birthday to me… happy birthday to me…" No cards, no presents, and he would be spending the evening pretending not to exist. He gazed miserably into the hedge. He had never felt so lonely.**

"But what about your friends?" Lily asked, confusion in her voice.

"You'll see, Lily." Ginny stated.

"Please, call me Mrs. Potter." Lily said, and James smirked at his wife, trying to keep his laughter inside. Ginny looked putout at that, but kept quiet. Smart of her, too.

**More than anything else at Hogwarts, more even than playing Quidditch, Harry missed his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. They, however, didn't seem to be missing him at all. **

"But we really did," Hermione whispered, pouting a little.

**Neither of them had written to him all summer, even though Ron had said he was going to ask Harry to come and stay.**

"Okay, what, why?" James questioned, looking at the two friends. They were obviously still close to his son, but why not write to him?

"You'll find out soon, I promise." Harry placated, and James nodded his head, before continuing to listen.

**Countless times, Harry had been on the point of unlocking Hedwig's cage by magic and sending her to Ron and Hermione with a letter, but it wasn't worth the risk. Underage wizards weren't allowed to use magic outside of school. Harry hadn't told the Dursleys this; **

James laughed quietly.

**He knew it was only their terror that he might turn them all into dung beetles that stopped them from locking **_**him **_**in the cupboard under the stairs with his wand and broomstick. **

Sirius and James growled, remembering Harry being there for most of his life at the time.

**For the first couple of weeks back, Harry had enjoyed muttering nonsense words under his breath and watching Dudley tearing out of the room as fast as his fat legs would carry him. But the long silence from Ron and Hermione had made Harry feel so cut off from the magical world that even taunting Dudley had lost its appeal — and now Ron and Hermione had forgotten his birthday. **

"Harry, we would never—" Hermione began, but Harry interrupted her.

"I know."

**What wouldn't he give now for a message from Hogwarts? From any witch or wizard? He'd almost be glad of a sight of his archenemy, Draco Malfoy, just to be sure it hadn't all been a dream… Not that his whole year at Hogwarts had been fun. At the very end of last term, Harry had come face-to-face with none other than Lord Voldemort himself.**

"And we are _not_ thrilled," Lily snarled.

**Voldemort might be a ruin of his former self, but he was still terrifying, still cunning, still determined to regain power. Harry had slipped through Voldemort's clutches for a second time, but it had been a narrow escape, and even now, weeks later, Harry kept waking in the night, drenched in cold sweat, wondering where Voldemort was now, remembering his livid face, his wide, mad eyes — **

**Harry suddenly sat bolt upright on the garden bench. He had been staring absent-mindedly into the hedge — **_**and the hedge was staring back**_**. **

"Cause that's not weird or anything," Remus muttered.

**Two enormous green eyes had appeared among the leaves. Harry jumped to his feet just as a jeering voice floated across the lawn. **

"**I know what day it is," sang Dudley, waddling toward him. The huge eyes blinked and vanished. **

"**What?" said Harry, not taking his eyes off the spot where they had been. **

"**I know what day it is," Dudley repeated, coming right up to him. **

"Well done, you've finally learned the days of the week!" James, Lily, Hermione, Ron and Ginny snapped, while Harry snickered, remembering this conversation.

"**Well done," said Harry. "So you've finally learned the days of the week." **

"Oh," They interrupted, snorting a little.

"**Today's your **_**birthday**_**," sneered Dudley. "How come you haven't got any cards? Haven't you even got friends at that freak place?" **

"He's got loads!" The twins stated, grinning at Harry.

"**Better not let your mum hear you talking about my school," said Harry coolly. Dudley hitched up his trousers, which were slipping down his fat bottom. **

Ron snorted, knowing just how fat his bottom truly was.

"**Why're you staring at the hedge?" he said suspiciously. **

"**I'm trying to decide what would be the best spell to set it on fire," said Harry. Dudley stumbled backward at once, a look of panic on his fat face. **

The hall laughed, realizing how easy it was to scare the muggles in this book.

"**You c-can't — Dad told you you're not to do m-magic — he said he'll chuck you out of the house — and you haven't got anywhere else to go — you haven't got any **_**friends **_**to take you —" **

"_**Jiggery pokery**_**!" said Harry in a fierce voice. "**_**Hocus pocus — squiggly wiggly —**_**" **

"Does he think that's an actual spell?" Minerva interrupted, disgust written on her face.

"**MUUUUUUM!" howled Dudley, tripping over his feet as he dashed back toward the house. "MUUUUM! He's doing you know what!" Harry paid dearly for his moment of fun. As neither Dudley nor the hedge was in any way hurt, Aunt Petunia knew he hadn't really done magic, but he still had to duck as she aimed a heavy blow at his head with the soapy frying pan.**

Many people had to move to the side as Lily gave a fresh burst of fire from her wand in her anger while muttering about how her darling sister would feel if she did the same to her own son.

**Then she gave him work to do, with the promise he wouldn't eat again until he'd finished. **

Lily could be heard mumbling under her breath, with many people curious as to what she would do.

**While Dudley lolled around watching and eating ice cream, Harry cleaned the windows, washed the car, mowed the lawn, trimmed the flowerbeds, pruned and watered the roses, and repainted the garden bench. The sun blazed overhead, burning the back of his neck. Harry knew he shouldn't have risen to Dudley's bait, but Dudley had said the very thing Harry had been thinking himself… maybe he **_**didn't **_**have any friends at Hogwarts… **

"Oh Harry," Hermione whispered, squeezing his hand at the same time his mother cursed under her breath of all the things she'd make Dudley do as payback.

_**Wish they could see famous Harry Potter now**_**, he thought savagely as he spread manure on the flower beds, his back aching, sweat running down his face. It was half past seven in the evening when at last, exhausted, he heard Aunt Petunia calling him. **

"**Get in here! And walk on the newspaper!" **

**Harry moved gladly into the shade of the gleaming kitchen. On top of the fridge stood tonight's pudding: a huge mound of whipped cream and sugared violets. A loin of roast pork was sizzling in the oven. **

"**Eat quickly! The Masons will be here soon!" snapped Aunt Petunia, pointing to two slices of bread and a lump of cheese on the kitchen table.**

"That's all you're giving him?" James snarled while Sirius growled and Lily widened her eyes in anger and in shock.

**She was already wearing a salmon-pink cocktail dress. Harry washed his hands and bolted down his pitiful supper. The moment he had finished, Aunt Petunia whisked away his plate. "Upstairs! Hurry!" **

**As he passed the door to the living room, Harry caught a glimpse of Uncle Vernon and Dudley in bow ties and dinner jackets. He had only just reached the upstairs landing when the door bell rang and Uncle Vernon's furious face appeared at the foot of the stairs. **

"**Remember, boy — one sound —" **

**Harry crossed to his bedroom on tiptoe slipped inside, closed the door, and turned to collapse on his bed. The trouble was, there was already someone sitting on it.**

"Wait, what?" Many people questioned while Fillius asked who would like to read next. Within a couple of minutes, the book soon floated over to the minister, Cornelius Fudge.

"But sir—"

"It's perfectly fine Dolores, just a book after all," Cornelius interrupted before clearing his throat.


	22. Chapter 22

"**CHAPTER TWO, Dobby's Warning" **The minister began, taking a sip from his goblet as he'd done so.

**Harry managed not to shout out, but it was a close thing. The little creature on the bed had large, bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls. **

"What the bloody hell in Merlin is a house elf doing at a muggle home?" Lily asked, her eyebrow arched in confusion and her arms crossed at her chest.

**Harry knew instantly that this was what had been watching him out of the garden hedge that morning. As they stared at each other, Harry heard Dudley's voice from the hall. **

"**May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?" The creature slipped off the bed and bowed so low that the end of its long, thin nose touched the carpet. Harry noticed that it was wearing what looked like an old pillowcase, with rips for arm- and leg-holes. **

"Definitely a house elf, but why is it at my sons?" James muttered, moving around a little in his chair before magically wishing for a comfier one, having noticed how sore he was yesterday after the reading was finished.

"**Er — hello," said Harry nervously. **

"**Harry Potter!" said the creature in a high-pitched voice Harry was sure would carry down the stairs. "So long has Dobby wanted to meet you, sir… Such an honor it is…"**

"Dobby?" Lucius Malfoy snarled, and James and Lily could only look on in even more confusion as both Malfoy males fingered their wands and Narcissa just rolled her eyes and glared at them.

"**Th-thank you," said Harry, edging along the wall and sinking into his desk chair, next to Hedwig, who was asleep in her large cage. He wanted to ask, "What are you?" but thought it would sound too rude, so instead he said, "Who are you?" **

"**Dobby, sir. Just Dobby. Dobby the house-elf," said the creature. **

"**Oh — really?" said Harry. "Er — I don't want to be rude or anything, but — this isn't a great time for me to have a house-elf in my bedroom." Aunt Petunias high, false laugh sounded from the living room. The elf hung his head. **

"**Not that I'm not pleased to meet you," said Harry quickly, "but, er, is there any particular reason you're here?" **

"**Oh, yes, sir," said Dobby earnestly. "Dobby has come to tell you, sir… it is difficult, sir… Dobby wonders where to begin…" **

"**Sit down," said Harry politely, pointing at the bed.**

"Oh no, Harry." James shook his head, knowing how a house elf would react to such kindness.

**To his horror, the elf burst into tears — very noisy tears. **

"_**S-sit down**_**!" he wailed. "**_**Never**_**… **_**never ever**_**…" Harry thought he heard the voices downstairs falter. **

"**I'm sorry," he whispered, "I didn't mean to offend you or anything —" **

"**Offend Dobby!" choked the elf. "Dobby has **_**never **_**been asked to sit down by a wizard — like an **_**equal **_**—" **

"Because most don't think of them as equals," Hermione muttered angrily with Harry grinning at her.

**Harry, trying to say "Shh!" and look comforting at the same time, ushered Dobby back onto the bed where he sat hiccoughing, looking like a large and very ugly doll.**

Snorts were heard around the hall.

**At last he managed to control himself, and sat with his great eyes fixed on Harry in an expression of watery adoration. **

"**You can't have met many decent wizards," said Harry, trying to cheer him up. Dobby shook his head. Then, without warning, he leapt up and started banging his head furiously on the window, shouting, "**_**Bad **_**Dobby! **_**Bad **_**Dobby!" **

"**Don't — what are you doing?" Harry hissed, springing up and pulling Dobby back onto the bed — Hedwig had woken up with a particularly loud screech and was beating her wings wildly against the bars of her cage. **

"**Dobby had to punish himself, sir," said the elf, who had gone slightly cross-eyed. "Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, sir…" **

"**Your family?" **

"**The wizard family Dobby serves, sir… Dobby is a house-elf — bound to serve one house and one family forever…" **

"**Do they know you're here?" asked Harry curiously. Dobby shuddered. **

"**Oh, no, sir, no… Dobby will have to punish himself most grievously for coming to see you, sir. Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door for this. If they ever knew, sir —" **

"**But won't they notice if you shut your ears in the oven door?" **

"Those are quite radical for punishments for a house elf," Lily said interrupting.

"**Dobby doubts it, sir. Dobby is always having to punish himself for something, sir. They lets Dobby get on with it, sir. Sometimes they reminds me to do extra punishments…" **

"Sounds like the – oh." James said, looking at the smirking Malfoys before glaring.

"**But why don't you leave? Escape?" **

"**A house-elf must be set free, sir. And the family will never set Dobby free… Dobby will serve the family until he dies, sir…" Harry stared. **

"**And I thought I had it bad staying here for another four weeks," he said. "This makes the Dursleys sound almost human. Can't anyone help you? Can't I?" Almost at once, Harry wished he hadn't spoken. Dobby dissolved again into wails of gratitude. **

"**Please," Harry whispered frantically, "please be quiet. If the Dursleys hear anything, if they know you're here —" **

"**Harry Potter asks if he can help Dobby… Dobby has heard of your greatness, sir, but of your goodness, Dobby never knew…" Harry, who was feeling distinctly hot in the face, said, "Whatever you've heard about my greatness is a load of rubbish. I'm not even top of my year at Hogwarts; that's Hermione, she —" **

Hermione smiled lightly, Ron snorted and Snape looked confused, wondering that surely the Potter brat would want to hear about his 'greatness'.

**But he stopped quickly, because thinking about Hermione was painful. **

"**Harry Potter is humble and modest," said Dobby reverently, his orb-like eyes aglow. **

"**Harry Potter speaks not of his triumph over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named —" **

"**Voldemort?" said Harry. Dobby clapped his hands over his bat ears and moaned, "Ah, speak not the name, sir! Speak not the name!" **

"It's just a name," Lily shouted, many people jumping in surprise for not having expected it.

"**Sorry," said Harry quickly. "I know lots of people don't like it. My friend Ron —" He stopped again. Thinking about Ron was painful, too. Dobby leaned toward Harry, his eyes wide as headlights. **

"**Dobby heard tell," he said hoarsely, "that Harry Potter met the Dark Lord for a second time just weeks ago… that Harry Potter escaped **_**yet again**_**." Harry nodded and Dobby's eyes suddenly shone with tears. **

James, Lily and Sirius shuddered, remembering all too well about Harry's second time with Voldemort.

"**Ah, sir," he gasped, dabbing his face with a corner of the grubby pillowcase he was wearing. "Harry Potter is valiant and bold! He has braved so many dangers already! But Dobby has come to protect Harry Potter, to warn him, even if he does have to shut his ears in the oven door later… **_**Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts**_**." **

"Why the bloody hell not?" James nearly shouted, confusion lacing his voice more so than the anger. Lily was nodding her head, while Hermione had her head tilted carefully, like she was in thought about something, which she no doubt was.

**There was a silence broken only by the chink of knives and forks from downstairs and the distant rumble of Uncle Vernon's voice. **

"**W-what?" Harry stammered. "But I've got to go back — term starts on September first. It's all that's keeping me going. You don't know what it's like here. I don't **_**belong **_**here. I belong in your world — at Hogwarts." **

"**No, no, no," squeaked Dobby, shaking his head so hard his ears flapped. "Harry Potter must stay where he is safe. He is too great, too good, to lose. If Harry Potter goes back to Hogwarts, he will be in mortal danger." **

"Isn't he always, though?" Neville snorted, the twins looking on in awe at his sarcastic comment.

"**Why?" said Harry in surprise. **

"**There is a plot, Harry Potter. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year," whispered Dobby, suddenly trembling all over. "Dobby has known it for months, sir. Harry Potter must not put himself in peril. He is too important, sir!" **

"**What terrible things?" said Harry at once. "Who's plotting them?" Dobby made a funny choking noise and then banged his head frantically against the wall. **

"**All right!" cried Harry, grabbing the elf's arm to stop him. "You can't tell me. I understand. But why are you warning **_**me**_**?" A sudden, unpleasant thought struck him. **

"**Hang on — this hasn't got anything to do with Vol — sorry — with You-Know-Who, has it? You could just shake or nod," he added hastily as Dobby's head tilted worryingly close to the wall again. Slowly, Dobby shook his head. **

"**Not — not **_**He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named**_**, sir —" But Dobby's eyes were wide and he seemed to be trying to give Harry a hint. Harry, however, was completely lost. **

"**He hasn't got a brother, has he?" Dobby shook his head, his eyes wider than ever. **

"**Well then, I can't think who else would have a chance of making horrible things happen at Hogwarts," said Harry. "I mean, there's Dumbledore, for one thing — you know who Dumbledore is, don't you?" Dobby bowed his head. **

"**Albus Dumbledore is the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had. Dobby knows it, sir. Dobby has heard Dumbledore's powers rival those of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at the height of his strength. But, sir" — Dobby's voice dropped to an urgent whisper — "there are powers Dumbledore doesn't… powers no decent wizard…" And before Harry could stop him, Dobby bounded off the bed, seized Harry's desk lamp, and started beating himself around the head with earsplitting yelps. **

**A sudden silence fell downstairs. Two seconds later Harry, heart thudding madly, heard Uncle Vernon coming into the hall, calling, "Dudley must have left his television on again, the little tyke!" **

"**Quick! In the closet!" hissed Harry, stuffing Dobby in, shutting the door, and flinging himself onto the bed just as the door handle turned. **

"**What — the —**_**devil **_**— are — you — doing?" said Uncle Vernon through gritted teeth, his face horribly close to Harry's. "You've just ruined the punch line of my Japanese golfer joke… One more sound and you'll wish you'd never been born, boy!" He stomped flat-footed from the room. Shaking, Harry let Dobby out of the closet. **

"**See what it's like here?" he said. "See why I've got to go back to Hogwarts? It's the only place I've got — well, I **_**think **_**I've got friends." **

"**Friends who don't even **_**write **_**to Harry Potter?" said Dobby slyly.**

"Well hold on a minute, how would the house elf know if his friends haven't been—"

"Seriously, James, think about it!" Lily interrupted him, rolling his eyes as he thought and Cornelius continued reading.

"**I expect they've just been — wait a minute," said Harry, frowning. "How do **_**you **_**know my friends haven't been writing to me?" Dobby shuffled his feet. **

"**Harry Potter mustn't be angry with Dobby. Dobby did it for the best —" **

"_**Have you been stopping my letters?**_**" **

"Oh. Well. How rude, then."

"**Dobby has them here, sir," said the elf. Stepping nimbly out of Harry's reach, he pulled a thick wad of envelopes from the inside of the pillowcase he was wearing. Harry could make out Hermione's neat writing, Ron's untidy scrawl, and even a scribble that looked as though it was from the Hogwarts gamekeeper, Hagrid. Dobby blinked anxiously up at Harry. **

"**Harry Potter mustn't be angry… Dobby hoped… if Harry Potter thought his friends had forgotten him… Harry Potter might not want to go back to school, sir…" Harry wasn't listening. He made a grab for the letters, but Dobby jumped out of reach. **

"**Harry Potter will have them, sir, if he gives Dobby his word that he will not return to Hogwarts. Ah, sir, this is a danger you must not face! Say you won't go back, sir!" **

"**No," said Harry angrily. "Give me my friends' letters!" **

"**Then Harry Potter leaves Dobby no choice," said the elf sadly. Before Harry could move, Dobby had darted to the bedroom door, pulled it open, and sprinted down the stairs. **

"Oh no. Dobby, please don't do anything that will get my son into trouble,"

**Mouth dry, stomach lurching, Harry sprang after him, trying not to make a sound. He jumped the last six steps, landing catlike on the hall carpet, looking around for Dobby. From the dining room he heard Uncle Vernon saying, "… tell Petunia that very funny story about those American plumbers, Mr. Mason. She's been dying to hear…" Harry ran up the hall into the kitchen and felt his stomach disappear. Aunt Petunia's masterpiece of a pudding, the mountain of cream and sugared violets, was floating up near the ceiling. On top of a cupboard in the corner crouched Dobby. **

"**No," croaked Harry. "Please… they'll kill me…" **

Sirius growled at this, and after calming him down a little bit, Harry added, "Well, not really. They'll just lock me up for a while with no food and—" But stopped, realizing how bad that sounded to everyone.

"**Harry Potter must say he's not going back to school —" **

"**Dobby… please…" **

"**Say it, sir —" **

"**I can't —" Dobby gave him a tragic look. **

"**Then Dobby must do it, sir, for Harry Potter's own good." The pudding fell to the floor with a heart-stopping crash. Cream splattered the windows and walls as the dish shattered. With a crack like a whip, Dobby vanished. **

James and Lily flinched.

**There were screams from the dining room and Uncle Vernon burst into the kitchen to find Harry, rigid with shock, covered from head to foot in Aunt Petunia's pudding. At first, it looked as though Uncle Vernon would manage to gloss the whole thing over. ("Just our nephew —very disturbed — meeting strangers upsets him, so we kept him upstairs…") He shooed the shocked Masons back into the dining room, promised Harry he would flay him to within an inch of his life when the Masons had left, and handed him a mop. Aunt Petunia dug some ice cream out of the freezer and Harry, still shaking, started scrubbing the kitchen clean. **

**Uncle Vernon might still have been able to make his deal — if it hadn't been for the owl. **

**Aunt Petunia was just passing around a box of after-dinner mints when a huge barn owl swooped through the dining room window, dropped a letter on Mrs. Mason's head, and swooped out again. Mrs. Mason screamed like a banshee and ran from the house shouting about lunatics. Mr. Mason stayed just long enough to tell the Dursleys that his wife was mortally afraid of birds of all shapes and sizes, and to ask whether this was their idea of a joke. **

"But they have no imagination—"

"Or did you not know that?"

**Harry stood in the kitchen, clutching the mop for support, as Uncle Vernon advanced on him, a demonic glint in his tiny eyes.  
**

"**Read it!" he hissed evilly, brandishing the letter the owl had delivered. "Go on — read it!" **

**Harry took it. It did not contain birthday greetings. **

_**Dear Mr. Potter, **_

_**We have received intelligence that a Hover Charm was used at your place of residence this evening at twelve minutes past nine. As you know, underage wizards are not permitted to perform spells outside school, and further spellwork on your part may lead to expulsion from said school. (Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, Paragraph C). **_

_**We would also ask you to remember that any magical activity that risks notice by members of the non magical community (Muggles) is a serious offense under section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy. **_

_**Enjoy your holidays! **_

_**Yours sincerely, **_

_**Mafalda Hopkirk **_

_**IMPROPER USE OF MAGIC OFFICE **_

_**Ministry of Magic **_

**Harry looked up from the letter and gulped. **

"**You didn't tell us you weren't allowed to use magic outside school," said Uncle Vernon, a mad gleam dancing in his eyes. "Forgot to mention it… Slipped your mind, I daresay…" **

**He was bearing down on Harry like a great bulldog, all his teeth bared. "Well, I've got news for you, boy… I'm locking you up… You're never going back to that school… never… and if you try and magic yourself out — they'll expel you!" And laughing like a maniac, he dragged Harry back upstairs. **

Cornelius stopped reading, and Amelia, frowning, asked, "That wasn't you?" Harry shook his head, and Amelia hmmed before thinking about how they really need to investigate things before acting on it.

**Uncle Vernon was as bad as his word. The following morning, he paid a man to fit bars on Harry's window. **

"It's not like he's an Azkaban madman!" James shouted, making Sirius flinch, which only Lily noticed.

**He himself fitted a cat-flap in the bedroom door, so that small amounts of food could be pushed inside three times a day. **

"He's not an animal, either." Lily snarled.

**They let Harry out to use the bathroom morning and evening. Otherwise, he was locked in his room around the clock. **

**Three days later, the Dursleys were showing no sign of relenting, and Harry couldn't see any way out of his situation. He lay on his bed watching the sun sinking behind the bars on the window and wondered miserably what was going to happen to him. **

**What was the good of magicking himself out of his room if Hogwarts would expel him for doing it? Yet life at Privet Drive had reached an all-time low. Now that the Dursleys knew they weren't going to wake up as fruit bats, he had lost his only weapon. Dobby might have saved Harry from horrible happenings at Hogwarts, but the way things were going, he'd probably starve to death anyway. **

**The cat-flap rattled and Aunt Petunias hand appeared, pushing a bowl of canned soup into the room. Harry, whose insides were aching with hunger, jumped off his bed and seized it. The soup was stone-cold, but he drank half of it in one gulp. Then he crossed the room to Hedwig's cage and tipped the soggy vegetables at the bottom of the bowl into her empty food tray. She ruffled her feathers and gave him a look of deep disgust. **

"**It's no good turning your beak up at it — that's all we've got," said Harry grimly. **

**He put the empty bowl back on the floor next to the cat-flap and lay back down on the bed, somehow even hungrier than he had been before the soup. Supposing he was still alive in another four weeks, what would happen if he didn't turn up at Hogwarts? Would someone be sent to see why he hadn't come back? Would they be able to make the Dursleys let him go? **

**The room was growing dark. Exhausted, stomach rumbling, mind spinning over the same unanswerable questions, Harry fell into an uneasy sleep. **

**He dreamed that he was on show in a zoo, with a card reading UNDERAGE WIZARD attached to his cage. People goggled through the bars at him as he lay, starving and weak, on a bed of straw. He saw Dobby's face in the crowd and shouted out, asking for help, but Dobby called, "Harry Potter is safe there, sir!" and vanished. Then the Dursleys appeared and Dudley rattled the bars of the cage, laughing at him. **

"**Stop it," Harry muttered as the rattling pounded in his sore head. "Leave me alone… cut it out… I'm trying to sleep…"**

**He opened his eyes. Moonlight was shining through the bars on the window. And someone **_**was **_**goggling through the bars at him: a freckle-faced, red-haired, long-nosed someone. **

**Ron Weasley was outside Harry's window.**

"Oh, such good times," Fred said wistfully as George sighed.

"Who would like to read next?" Cornelius asked.

"I will, Minister." Percy replied, taking the book.


	23. Chapter 23

"**CHAPTER THREE, The Burrow"** Percy began, before looking around and gulping.

"Do you think maybe someone else can re—"

"Weasley, read." Cornelius interrupted, glaring, and Percy nodded before continuing onwards.

"**Ron." breathed Harry, creeping to the window and pushing it up so they could talk through the bars. "Ron, how did you —? What the —?" Harry's mouth fell open as the full impact of what he was seeing hit him. Ron was leaning out of the back window of an old turquoise car, which was parked **_**in midair**_**.**

"Bloody brilliant," James said in awe, as the twins grinned and Harry sniggered alongside Ron.

**Grinning at Harry from the front seats were Fred and George, Ron's elder twin brothers. **

"**All right, Harry?" asked George. **

"**What's been going on?" said Ron. "Why haven't you been answering my letters? I've asked you to stay about twelve times, and then Dad came home and said you'd got an official warning for using magic in front of Muggles —" **

"**It wasn't me — and how did he know?" **

"**He works for the Ministry," said Ron. "You **_**know **_**we're not supposed to do spells outside school —" **

"**You should talk," said Harry, staring at the floating car. **

"Harry, be nice." Lily laughed.

"**Oh, this doesn't count," said Ron. "We're only borrowing this. It's Dad's, **_**we **_**didn't enchant it. But doing magic in front of those Muggles you live with —" **

"**I told you, I didn't — but it'll take too long to explain now — look, can you tell them at Hogwarts that the Dursleys have locked me up and won't let me come back, and obviously I can't magic myself out, because the Ministry'll think that's the second spell I've done in three days, so —" **

"Harry, they're not just gonna leave you there," James snorted.

"**Stop gibbering," said Ron. "We've come to take you home with us." **

"See?"

"**But you can't magic me out either —" **

"**We don't need to," said Ron, jerking his head toward the front seat and grinning. "You forget who I've got with me." **

Fred and George grinned at this, a mischievous glint in their eyes.

"**Tie that around the bars," said Fred, throwing the end of a rope to Harry. **

"**If the Dursleys wake up, I'm dead," said Harry as he tied the rope tightly around a bar and Fred revved up the car. **

Everyone could hear growling coming from Sirius, and Harry could only grin before laughing at the look on everyone's faces when they see the ride to Hogwarts. Ron, who was thinking of the same thing, grinned back.

"**Don't worry," said Fred, "and stand back." Harry moved back into the shadows next to Hedwig, who seemed to have realized how important this was and kept still and silent.**

"Smart owl," someone muttered.

**The car revved louder and louder and suddenly, with a crunching noise, the bars were pulled clean out of the window as Fred drove straight up in the air. Harry ran back to the window to see the bars dangling a few feet above the ground. Panting, Ron hoisted them up into the car. Harry listened anxiously, but there was no sound from the Dursleys' bedroom. **

**When the bars were safely in the back seat with Ron, Fred reversed as close as possible to Harry's window. **

"**Get in," Ron said. **

"**But all my Hogwarts stuff — my wand — my broomstick —" **

"**Where is it?" **

"**Locked in the cupboard under the stairs, and I can't get out of this room —" **

"**No problem," said George from the front passenger seat. "Out of the way, Harry." Fred and George climbed catlike through the window into Harry's room. You had to hand it to them, thought Harry, as George took an ordinary hairpin from his pocket and started to pick the lock. **

"They're pretty clever," Fillius muttered to Minerva, who nodded in agreement. Molly, who never liked her sons doing this in the first place, was trying very hard not to look angry at her two sons, who were grinning.

"**A lot of wizards think it's a waste of time, knowing this sort of Muggle trick," said Fred, "but we feel they're skills worth learning, even if they are a bit slow." There was a small click and the door swung open. **

"**So — we'll get your trunk — you grab anything you need from your room and hand it out to Ron," whispered George. **

"**Watch out for the bottom stair — it creaks," Harry whispered back as the twins disappeared onto the dark landing. Harry dashed around his room, collecting his things and passing them out of the window to Ron. Then he went to help Fred and George heave his trunk up the stairs. Harry heard Uncle Vernon cough. **

**At last, panting, they reached the landing, then carried the trunk through Harry's room to the open window. Fred climbed back into the car to pull with Ron, and Harry and George pushed from the bedroom side. Inch by inch, the trunk slid through the window. Uncle Vernon coughed again. **

"**A bit more," panted Fred, who was pulling from inside the car. "One good push —" **

**Harry and George threw their shoulders against the trunk and it slid out of the window into the back seat of the car. **

"**Okay, let's go," George whispered.**

"Don't forget that incredibly smart owl of yours, son," James whispered, so very into the book, causing everyone else to laugh at him.

**But as Harry climbed onto the windowsill there came a sudden loud screech from behind him, followed immediately by the thunder of Uncle Vernon's voice. **

"**THAT RUDDY OWL!" **

James flinched.

"**I've forgotten Hedwig!" Harry tore back across the room as the landing light clicked on — he snatched up Hedwig's cage, dashed to the window, and passed it out to Ron. He was scrambling back onto the chest of drawers when Uncle Vernon hammered on the unlocked door — and it crashed open. For a split second, Uncle Vernon stood framed in the doorway; then he let out a bellow like an angry bull and dived at Harry, grabbing him by the ankle. Ron, Fred, and George seized Harry's arms and pulled as hard as they could. **

"**Petunia!" roared Uncle Vernon. "He's getting away! HE'S GETTING AWAY!" But the Weasleys gave a gigantic tug and Harry's leg slid out of Uncle Vernon's grasp — Harry was in the car — he'd slammed the door shut — **

"**Put your foot down, Fred!" yelled Ron, and the car shot suddenly toward the moon. Harry couldn't believe it — he was free.**

Sirius barked, his tail wagging, knowing exactly how that feeling felt, and Harry smiled.

**He rolled down the window, the night air whipping his hair, and looked back at the shrinking rooftops of Privet Drive. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley were all hanging, dumbstruck, out of Harry's window. **

"**See you next summer!" Harry yelled. The Weasleys roared with laughter and Harry settled back in his seat, grinning from ear to ear. **

"What's so funny about it?" Someone asked, and Harry shrugged, while the others looked at one another in confusion.

"**Let Hedwig out," he told Ron. "She can fly behind us. She hasn't had a chance to stretch her wings for ages." George handed the hairpin to Ron and, a moment later, Hedwig soared joyfully out of the window to glide alongside them like a ghost. **

"**So — what's the story, Harry?" said Ron impatiently. "What's been happening?" Harry told them all about Dobby, the warning he'd given Harry and the fiasco of the violet pudding. There was a long, shocked silence when he had finished. **

"**Very fishy," said Fred finally. **

"**Definitely dodgy" agreed George. "So he wouldn't even tell you who's supposed to be plotting all this stuff?" **

"**I don't think he could," said Harry. "I told you, every time he got close to letting something slip, he started banging his head against the wall." He saw Fred and George look at each other. **

"**What, you think he was lying to me?" said Harry. **

"Well, he could've been sent as a joke." Lily said after thinking about it for a couple of minutes, "But I truly doubt it." She added, after seeing Percy's look of surprise.

"**Well," said Fred, "put it this way — house-elves have got powerful magic of their own, but they can't usually use it without their master's permission. I reckon old Dobby was sent to stop you coming back to Hogwarts. Someone's idea of a joke. Can you think of anyone at school with a grudge against you?" **

"**Yes," said Harry and Ron together, instantly.**

"Malfoy!" Many people shouted, causing the teen in question to blush.

"**Draco Malfoy," Harry explained. "He hates me." **

"**Draco Malfoy?" said George, turning around. "Not Lucius Malfoy's son?" **

"**Must be, it's not a very common name, is it?" said Harry. **

"**I've heard Dad talking about him," said George. "He was a big supporter of You-Know-Who." **

"**And when You-Know-Who disappeared," said Fred, craning around to look at Harry, "Lucius Malfoy came back saying he'd never meant any of it. Load of dung — Dad reckons he was right in You- Know-Who's inner circle."**

"Because he is," Harry muttered.

**Harry had heard these rumors about Malfoy's family before, and they didn't surprise him at all. Malfoy made Dudley Dursley look like a kind, thoughtful, and sensitive boy… **

"DRACO MALFOY!" Narcissa shouted while he flinched and tried to move away, unsuccessfully so.

"**I don't know whether the Malfoys own a house-elf…" said Harry.**

"They probably do, as most rich, noble houses do." James said, glaring lightly before smiling at his old house elves.

"**Well, whoever owns him will be an old wizarding family, and they'll be rich," said Fred. **

"**Yeah, Mum's always wishing we had a house-elf to do the ironing," said George. "But all we've got is a lousy old ghoul in the attic and gnomes all over the garden. House-elves come with big old manors and castles and places like that; you wouldn't catch one in our house…" Harry was silent. Judging by the fact that Draco Malfoy usually had the best of everything, his family was rolling in wizard gold; he could just see Malfoy strutting around a large manor house. Sending the family servant to stop Harry from going back to Hogwarts also sounded exactly like the sort of thing Malfoy would do. Had Harry been stupid to take Dobby seriously? **

"Not at all, Harry." Ginny said smiling.

"**I'm glad we came to get you, anyway," said Ron. "I was getting really worried when you didn't answer any of my letters. I thought it was Errol's fault at first —" **

"**Who's Errol?" **

"**Our owl. He's ancient. It wouldn't be the first time he'd collapsed on a delivery. So then I tried to borrow Hermes —" **

"_**Who?" **_

"**The owl Mum and Dad bought Percy when he was made prefect," said Fred from the front. **

"**But Percy wouldn't lend him to me," said Ron. "Said he needed him." **

"**Percy's been acting very oddly this summer," said George, frowning. "And he **_**has **_**been sending a lot of letters and spending a load of time shut up in his room… I mean, there's only so many times you can polish a prefect badge… You're driving too far west, Fred," he added, pointing at a compass on the dashboard. Fred twiddled the steering wheel. **

"Maybe Prefect Percy has a girlfriend!" James laughed, clapping his hands as Percy blushed and stuttered before continuing.

"**So, does your dad know you've got the car?" said Harry, guessing the answer. **

"**Er, no," said Ron, "he had to work tonight. Hopefully we'll be able to get it back in the garage without Mum noticing we flew it." **

"Doubt it, mate."

"**What does your dad do at the Ministry of Magic, anyway?" **

"**He works in the most boring department," said Ron. "The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office." **

Arthur frowned at his son's words before shaking his head. He supposed that for his family, his work did seem boring, but to him, it was absolutely perfect.

"**The **_**what**_**?" **

"**It's all to do with bewitching things that are Muggle-made, you know, in case they end up back in a Muggle shop or house. Like, last year, some old witch died and her tea set was sold to an antiques shop. This Muggle woman bought it, took it home, and tried to serve her friends tea in it. It was a nightmare — Dad was working overtime for weeks." **

"**What happened?"**

"**The teapot went berserk and squirted boiling tea all over the place and one man ended up in the hospital with the sugar tongs clamped to his nose. Dad was going frantic — it's only him and an old warlock called Perkins in the office — and they had to do Memory Charms and all sorts of stuff to cover it up —" **

"**But your dad — this car —" **

**Fred laughed. "Yeah, Dad's crazy about everything to do with Muggles; our shed's full of Muggle stuff. He takes it apart, puts spells on it, and puts it back together again. If he raided **_**our **_**house he'd have to put himself under arrest. It drives Mum mad."**

Many people snorted and Cornelius was about to interrupt Percy when, one look at Albus, stopped himself from doing so.

"**That's the main road," said George, peering down through the windshield. "We'll be there in ten minutes… Just as well, it's getting light…"A faint pinkish glow was visible along the horizon to the east. Fred brought the car lower, and Harry saw a dark patchwork of fields and clumps of trees. **

"**We're a little way outside the village," said George. "Ottery St. Catchpole." Lower and lower went the flying car. The edge of a brilliant red sun was now gleaming through the trees. **

"**Touchdown!" said Fred as, with a slight bump, they hit the ground. They had landed next to a tumbledown garage in a small yard, and Harry looked out for the first time at Ron's house. It looked as though it had once been a large stone pigpen, but extra rooms had been added here and there until it was several stories high and so crooked it looked as though it were held up by magic (which Harry reminded himself, it probably was). Four or five chimneys were perched on top of the red roof. A lopsided sign stuck in the ground near the entrance read, THE BURROW. Around the front door lay a jumble of rubber boots and a very rusty cauldron. Several fat brown chickens were pecking their way around the yard. **

"**It's not much," said Ron. **

"**It's **_**wonderful**_**," said Harry happily, thinking of Privet Drive. They got out of the car. **

"**Now, we'll go upstairs really quietly," said Fred, "and wait for Mum to call us for breakfast. Then, Ron, you come bounding downstairs going, 'Mum, look who turned up in the night!' and she'll be all pleased to see Harry and no one need ever know we flew the car." **

"It's a good plan. But you'll probably get caught, and trust me, I'd know." James interrupted, nodding his head in sympathy.

"**Right," said Ron. "Come on, Harry, I sleep at the — at the top —" Ron had gone a nasty greenish color, his eyes fixed on the house.**

"And here enters Molly." Lily laughed.

**The other three wheeled around. Mrs. Weasley was marching across the yard, scattering chickens, and for a short, plump, kind-faced woman, it was remarkable how much she looked like a saber-toothed tiger. **

Molly blushed at her description.

"_**Ah**_**, "said Fred. **

"**Oh, dear," said George. **

**Mrs. Weasley came to a halt in front of them, her hands on her hips, staring from one guilty face to the next. She was wearing a flowered apron with a wand sticking out of the pocket. **

"_**So**_**," she said. **

"**Morning, Mum," said George, in what he clearly thought was a jaunty, winning voice. **

"**Have you any idea how worried I've been?" said Mrs. Weasley in a deadly whisper. **

"**Sorry, Mum, but see, we had to —" **

**All three of Mrs. Weasley's sons were taller than she was, but they cowered as her rage broke over them. **

"**Beds empty! No note! Car gone — could have crashed — out of my mind with worry — did you care? — never, as long as I've lived — you wait until your father gets home, we never had trouble like this from Bill or Charlie or Percy —" **

"**Perfect Percy," muttered Fred. **

"Not so perfect anymore, though." Muttered George, rolling his eyes.

"**YOU COULD DO WITH TAKING A LEAF OUT OF PERCY'S BOOK!" yelled Mrs. Weasley, prodding a finger in Fred's chest. "You could have **_**died**_**, you could have been **_**seen**_**, you could have lost your father his **_**job **_**—" It seemed to go on for hours. Mrs. Weasley had shouted herself hoarse before she turned on Harry, who backed away. **

"Oh, Harry dear, no—" Molly started but was interrupting by Sirius snorting. Molly glared at the animagus and was about to yell, but stopped herself, causing Lily to look on in interest.

"**I'm very pleased to see you, Harry, dear," she said. "Come in and have some breakfast." **

**She turned and walked back into the house and Harry, after a nervous glance at Ron, who nodded encouragingly, followed her. **

**The kitchen was small and rather cramped. There was a scrubbed wooden table and chairs in the middle, and Harry sat down on the edge of his seat, looking around. He had never been in a wizard house before. The clock on the wall opposite him had only one hand and no numbers at all. Written around the edge were things like **_**Time to make tea, Time to feed the chickens**_**, and **_**You're late**_**. Books were stacked three deep on the mantelpiece, books with titles like **_**Charm Your Own Cheese, Enchantment in Baking, and One Minute Feasts **_**— **_**It's Magic! **_

"Oh, we use to have something like that, Harry." Lily said.

"Really?"

"Oh yes. We had hands for the three of us, Remus, Sirius, and, well, Peter." Lily stated growing sad at remembering Peter. Many people who didn't know the truth, assumed it was because he was gone, but many others who did know the truth, snorted.

**And unless Harry's ears were deceiving him, the old radio next to the sink had just announced that coming up was "Witching Hour, with the popular singing sorceress, Celestina Warbeck." **

**Mrs. Weasley was clattering around, cooking breakfast a little haphazardly, throwing dirty looks at her sons as she threw sausages into the frying pan. Every now and then she muttered things like "don't know **_**what **_**you were thinking of," and "**_**never **_**would have believed it." **

"**I don't blame **_**you**_**, dear," she assured Harry, tipping eight or nine sausages onto his plate. **

"He might not get fed a lot at my sisters, but that's still a _little_ much," Lily said, wrinkling her nose.

"**Arthur and I have been worried about you, too. Just last night we were saying we'd come and get you ourselves if you hadn't written back to Ron by Friday. But really," (she was now adding three fried eggs to his plate) "flying an illegal car halfway across the country — anyone could have seen you —" She flicked her wand casually at the dishes in the sink, which began to clean themselves, clinking gently in the background. **

"I thought it was pretty bloody wicked and cool," Harry mumbled, grinning at the twins, who grinned back.

"**It was **_**cloudy**_**, Mum!" said Fred. **

"**You keep your mouth closed while you're eating!" Mrs. Weasley snapped. **

"**They were starving him, Mum!" said George. **

"**And you!" said Mrs. Weasley, but it was with a slightly softened expression that she started cutting Harry bread and buttering it for him. **

"He's not a baby," James muttered, squinting his eyes.

**At that moment there was a diversion in the form of a small, redheaded figure in a long nightdress, who appeared in the kitchen, gave a small squeal, and ran out again. **

"**Ginny," said Ron in an undertone to Harry. "My sister. She's been talking about you all summer." **

Lily tilted her head slightly. James, having seen her do so, leaned over.

"She has a crush," He sang, jokingly.

"Yes, but how much of it is for Harry, and how much is for the _Boy Who Lived_?" Lily questioned, arching her eyebrow as James nodded in agreement.

"**Yeah, she'll be wanting your autograph, Harry," Fred said with a grin, but he caught his mother's eye and bent his face over his plate without another word. Nothing more was said until all four plates were clean, which took a surprisingly short time. **

"_**Blimey**_**, I'm tired," yawned Fred, setting down his knife and fork at last. "I think I'll go to bed and —"**

"**You will not," snapped Mrs. Weasley. "It's your own fault you've been up all night. You're going to de-gnome the garden for me; they're getting completely out of hand again —" **

"**Oh, Mum —" **

"**And you two," she said, glaring at Ron and Fred. "You can go up to bed, dear," she added to Harry. "You didn't ask them to fly that wretched car —" But Harry, who felt wide awake, said quickly, "I'll help Ron. I've never seen a de-gnoming —" **

"**That's very sweet of you, dear, but it's dull work," said Mrs. Weasley. "Now, let's see what Lockhart's got to say on the subject —" And she pulled a heavy book from the stack on the mantelpiece. George groaned. **

Nearly the whole great hall also groaned, clearly remembering the horrible defense teacher they had, who knew nothing of the topic he taught.

"**Mum, we know how to de-gnome a garden —" Harry looked at the cover of Mrs. Weasley's book. Written across it in fancy gold letters were the words **_**Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests**_**. There was a big photograph on the front of a very good-looking wizard with wavy blond hair and bright blue eyes. As always in the wizarding world, the photograph was moving; the wizard, who Harry supposed was Gilderoy Lockhart, kept winking cheekily up at them all. Mrs. Weasley beamed down at him. **

"Wasn't he this pompous, egotistical Hufflepuff a few years younger than us, love?" James asked while Lily nodded her head.

"**Oh, he is marvelous," she said. "He knows his household pests, all right, it's a wonderful book…" **

"**Mum **_**fancies **_**him," said Fred, in a very audible whisper.**

Many females _fancied_ him, Harry thought, rolling his eyes.

"**Don't be so ridiculous, Fred," said Mrs. Weasley, her cheeks rather pink. "All right, if you think you know better than Lockhart, you can go and get on with it, and woe betide you if there's a single gnome in that garden when I come out to inspect it." Yawning and grumbling, the Weasleys slouched outside with Harry behind them. The garden was large, and in Harry's eyes, exactly what a garden should be. The Dursleys wouldn't have liked it — there were plenty of weeds, and the grass needed cutting — but there were gnarled trees all around the walls, plants Harry had never seen spilling from every flower bed, and a big green pond full of frogs. **

"**Muggles have garden gnomes, too, you know," Harry told Ron they crossed the lawn. **

"**Yeah, I've seen those things they think are gnomes," said Ron, bent double with his head in a peony bush, "like fat little Santa Clauses with fishing rods…" There was a violent scuffling noise, the peony bush shuddered, and Ron straightened up. "**_**This **_**is a gnome," he said grimly. **

"**Gerroff me! Gerroff me!" squealed the gnome. It was certainly nothing like Santa Claus. It was small and leathery looking, with a large, knobby, bald head exactly like a potato. Ron held it at arm's length as it kicked out at him with its horny little feet; he grasped it around the ankles and turned it upside down. **

"**This is what you have to do," he said. He raised the gnome above his head ("Gerroff me!") and started to swing it in great circles like a lasso. Seeing the shocked look on Harry's face, Ron added, "It doesn't **_**hurt **_**them —you've just got to make them really dizzy so they can't find their way back to the gnome holes." **

**He let go of the gnome's ankles: It flew twenty feet into the air and landed with a thud in the field over the hedge. **

"**Pitiful," said Fred. "I bet I can get mine beyond that stump." Harry learned quickly not to feel too sorry for the gnomes. **

"I got mine at forty feet, and Snuffles had his at forty five." James said, beaming.

**He decided just to drop the first one he caught over the hedge, but the gnome, sensing weakness, sank its razor-sharp teeth into Harry's finger and he had a hard job shaking it off — until — **

"**Wow, Harry — that must've been fifty feet…" The air was soon thick with flying gnomes. **

James whistled, impressed with his son no matter what, it seemed.

"**See, they're not too bright," said George, seizing five or six gnomes at once. "The moment they know the de-gnoming's going on they storm up to have a look. You'd think they'd have learned by now just to stay put." **

**Soon, the crowd of gnomes in the field started walking away in a straggling line, their little shoulders hunched. **

"**They'll be back," said Ron as they watched the gnomes disappear into the hedge on the other side of the field. "They love it here… Dad's too soft with them; he thinks they're funny…" **

**Just then, the front door slammed. **

"**He's back!" said George. "Dad's home!" They hurried through the garden and back into the house. Mr. Weasley was slumped in a kitchen chair with his glasses off and his eyes closed. He was a thin man, going bald, but the little hair he had was as red as any of his children's. He was wearing long green robes, which were dusty and travel-worn.**

"**What a night," he mumbled, groping for the teapot as they all sat down around him. **

"**Nine raids. Nine! And old Mundungus Fletcher tried to put a hex on me when I had my back turned…" Mr. Weasley took a long gulp of tea and sighed. **

Many of the order either laughed or rolled their eyes.

"**Find anything, Dad?" said Fred eagerly.**

"**All I got were a few shrinking door keys and a biting kettle," yawned Mr. Weasley. **

"**There was some pretty nasty stuff that wasn't my department, though. Mortlake was taken away for questioning about some extremely odd ferrets, but that's the Committee on Experimental Charms, thank goodness…" **

"**Why would anyone bother making door keys shrink?" said George. **

"**Just Muggle-baiting," sighed Mr. Weasley. "Sell them a key that keeps shrinking to nothing so they can never find it when they need it.. Of course, it's very hard to convict anyone because no Muggle would admit their key keeps shrinking — they'll insist they just keep losing it. Bless them, they'll go to any lengths to ignore magic, even if it's staring them in the face… But the things our lot have taken to enchanting, you wouldn't believe —" **

"**LIKE CARS, FOR INSTANCE?" Mrs. Weasley had appeared, holding a long poker like a sword. Mr. Weasley's eyes jerked open. He stared guiltily at his wife.**

James snorted, shaking his head in understanding.

"**C-cars, Molly, dear?" **

"**Yes, Arthur, cars," said Mrs. Weasley, her eyes flashing. "Imagine a wizard buying a rusty old car and telling his wife all he wanted to do with it was take it apart to see how it worked, while **_**really **_**he was enchanting it to make it **_**fly**_**." Mr. Weasley blinked. **

"**Well, dear, I think you'll find that he would be quite within the law to do that, even if — er — he maybe would have done better to, um, tell his wife the truth… There's a loophole in the law, you'll find… As long as he wasn't **_**intending **_**to fly the car, the fact that the car **_**could **_**fly wouldn't —" **

"**Arthur Weasley, you made sure there was a loophole when you wrote that law!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. "Just so you could carry on tinkering with all that Muggle rubbish in your shed! And for your information, Harry arrived this morning in the car you weren't intending to fly!" **

"**Harry?" said Mr. Weasley blankly. "Harry who?" He looked around, saw Harry, and jumped. **

"**Good lord, is it Harry Potter? Very pleased to meet you, Ron's told us so much about —" **

"_**Your sons flew that car to Harry's house and back last night!" **_**shouted Mrs. Weasley. "What have you got to say about that, eh?" **

"**Did you really?" said Mr. Weasley eagerly. "Did it go all right? I — I mean," he faltered as sparks flew from Mrs. Weasley's eyes, "that — that was very wrong, boys — very wrong indeed…" **

The Great Hall burst into laughter at Arthurs sentence, and how quickly he backtracked, while Arthur grinned and blushed at the same time.

"**Let's leave them to it," Ron muttered to Harry as Mrs. Weasley swelled like a bullfrog. "Come on, I'll show you my bedroom." **

**They slipped out of the kitchen and down a narrow passageway to an uneven staircase, which wound its way, zigzagging up through the house. On the third landing, a door stood ajar. Harry just caught sight of a pair of bright brown eyes staring at him before it closed with a snap. **

Lily snorted, while many people looked at her curiously, wondering what she found so funny.

"**Ginny," said Ron. "You don't know how weird it is for her to be this shy. She never shuts up normally —" They climbed two more flights until they reached a door with peeling paint and a small plaque on it, saying RONALD'S ROOM. **

**Harry stepped in, his head almost touching the sloping ceiling, and blinked. It was like walking into a furnace: Nearly everything in Ron's room seemed to be a violent shade of orange: the bedspread, the walls, even the ceiling. Then Harry realized that Ron had covered nearly every inch of the shabby wallpaper with posters of the same seven witches and wizards, all wearing bright orange robes, carrying broomsticks, and waving energetically. **

"**Your Quidditch team?" said Harry. **

"**The Chudley Cannons," said Ron, pointing at the orange bedspread, which was emblazoned with two giant black C's and a speeding cannonball. "Ninth in the league."**

"Oh Ronald, you could chose so much better," James interrupted sadly, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

**Ron's school spellbooks were stacked untidily in a corner, next to a pile of comics that all seemed to feature **_**The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle. **_**Ron's magic wand was lying on top of a fish tank full of frog spawn on the windowsill, next to his fat gray rat, Scabbers, who was snoozing in a patch of sun. **

Sirius could be heard growling, Remus had tensed and Harry started calming the dog, while James and Lily looked on in confusion. Ron, who had a distinct look of disgust on his face, was shocked out of it by Percy speaking.

"Whatever happened to Scabbers, Ronald?"

"You'll find out next year, Percy."

**Harry stepped over a pack of Self-Shuffling playing cards on the floor and looked out of the tiny window. In the field far below he could see a gang of gnomes sneaking one by one back through the Weasleys' hedge. Then he turned to look at Ron, who was watching him almost nervously, as though waiting for his opinion. **

"**It's a bit small," said Ron quickly. "Not like that room you had with the Muggles. And I'm right underneath the ghoul in the attic; he's always banging on the pipes and groaning…" **

**But Harry, grinning widely, said, "This is the best house I've ever been in." **

**Ron's ears went pink.**

"Who wants to read now?" After a few minutes, the book was in the hands of Narcissa Malfoy.


	24. Chapter 24

"**CHAPTER FOUR, At Flourish and Blotts"**

**Life at the Burrow was as different as possible from life on Privet Drive. The Dursleys liked everything neat and ordered; the Weasleys' house burst with the strange and unexpected. Harry got a shock the first time he looked in the mirror over the kitchen mantelpiece and it shouted, **_**"Tuck your shirt in, scruffy!" **_

The Great Hall burst into laughter at this, as Harry hid his face into Sirius' fur, his face turning very red.

**The ghoul in the attic howled and dropped pipes whenever he felt things were getting too quiet, and small explosions from Fred and George's bedroom were considered perfectly normal. **

James quirked an eyebrow at the twins, who could only grin and shrug.

**What Harry found most unusual about life at Ron's, however, wasn't the talking mirror or the clanking ghoul: It was the fact that everybody there seemed to like him. **

Many of the people that were talking throughout the book stopped at this point and gave Harry looks of pity. Sirius, knowing his godson didn't like this, growled, and everyone suddenly looked away, afraid of the grim-like dog protecting the kid.

**Mrs. Weasley fussed over the state of his socks and tried to force him to eat fourth helpings at every meal. **

That would be annoying, both James and Lily thought, without hearing Harry mumble those exact words.

**Mr. Weasley liked Harry to sit next to him at the dinner table so that he could bombard him with questions about life with Muggles, asking him to explain how things like plugs and the postal service worked. **

"_**Fascinating**_**." he would say as Harry talked him through using a telephone. "**_**Ingenious**_**, really, how many ways Muggles have found of getting along without magic." **

**Harry heard from Hogwarts one sunny morning about a week after he had arrived at the Burrow. He and Ron went down to breakfast to find Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Ginny already sitting at the kitchen table. The moment she saw Harry, Ginny accidentally knocked her porridge bowl to the floor with a loud clatter. **

Snorts were heard around the room, as Ginny blushed.

**Ginny seemed very prone to knocking things over whenever Harry entered a room. She dived under the table to retrieve the bowl and emerged with her face glowing like the setting sun. Pretending he hadn't noticed this, Harry sat down and took the toast Mrs. Weasley offered him. **

James snorted loudly, shaking his head as his wife giggled. They both knew Ginny would probably be problematic in the future.

"**Letters from school," said Mr. Weasley, passing Harry and Ron identical envelopes of yellowish parchment, addressed in green ink. "Dumbledore already knows you're here, Harry — doesn't miss a trick, that man. You two've got them, too," he added, as Fred and George ambled in, still in their pajamas. **

**For a few minutes there was silence as they all read their letters. Harry's told him to catch the Hogwarts Express as usual from King's Cross station on September first. There was also a list of the new books he'd need for the coming year. **

_**SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS WILL REQUIRE: **_

_**The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2by Miranda Goshawk **_

_**Break with a Banshee by Gilderoy Lockhart **_

_**Gadding with Ghouls by Gilderoy Lockhart **_

_**Holidays with Hags by Gilderoy Lockhart **_

_**43 Travels with Trolls by Gilderoy Lockhart **_

_**Voyages with Vampires by Gilderoy Lockhart **_

_**Wanderings with Werewolves by Gilderoy Lockhart **_

_**Year with the Yeti by Gilderoy Lockhart **_

James grimaced, before muttering how the new Defense teacher must be a female fan to Lily while waggling his eyebrows, causing his wife to giggle some more.

**Fred, who had finished his own list, peered over at Harry's. "You've been told to get all Lockhart's books, too!" he said. "The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher must be a fan — bet it's a witch." At this point, Fred caught his mother's eye and quickly busied himself with the marmalade. **

"**That lot won't come cheap," said George, with a quick look at his parents. "Lockhart's books are really expensive…" **

"**Well, we'll manage," said Mrs. Weasley, but she looked worried. "I expect we'll be able to pick up a lot of Ginny's things secondhand." **

"**Oh, are you starting at Hogwarts this year?" Harry asked Ginny. She nodded, blushing to the roots of her flaming hair, and put her elbow in the butter dish. **

"Girl, you need to—" Lily gasped, trying to finish, but couldn't do to her laughter. Ginny had smiled and blushed, thinking that Lily was complimenting her, which just caused Lily to gasp even more than before, James snort and Sirius bark while Remus let out a small smile.

**Fortunately no one saw this except Harry, because just then Ron's elder brother Percy walked in. He was already dressed, his Hogwarts prefect badge pinned to his sweater vest. **

"**Morning, all," said Percy briskly. "Lovely day." He sat down in the only remaining chair but leapt up again almost immediately, pulling from underneath him a molting, gray feather duster — at least, that was what Harry thought it was, until he saw that it was breathing. **

"**Errol!" said Ron, taking the limp owl from Percy and extracting a letter from under its wing. "**_**Finally**_**— he's got Hermione's answer. I wrote to her saying we were going to try and rescue you from the Dursleys." **

**He carried Errol to a perch just inside the back door and tried to stand him on it, but Errol flopped straight off again so Ron lay him on the draining board instead, muttering, "Pathetic." Then he ripped open Hermione's letter and read it out loud: **

"_**`Dear Ron, and Harry if you're there, **_

_**I hope everything went all right and that Harry is okay and that you didn't do anything illegal to get him out, Ron, because that would get Harry into trouble, too. I've been really worried and if Harry is all right, will you please let me know at once, but perhaps it would be better if you used a different owl because I think another delivery might finish your one off. **_

"_**I'm very busy with schoolwork, of course'— **_**How can she be?" said Ron in horror. "We're on vacation! —**_**'and we're going to London next Wednesday to buy my new books. Why don't we meet in Diagon Alley? **_

_**Let me know what's happening as soon as you can. **_

_**Love from Hermione.'"**_

"Awh, love from," The twins interrupted, smirking, as Ginny hit their shoulders, glaring.

"**Well, that fits in nicely, we can go and get all your things then, too," said Mrs. Weasley, starting to clear the table. "What're you all up to today?" **

**Harry, Ron, Fred, and George were planning to go up the hill to a small paddock the Weasleys owned. It was surrounded by trees that blocked it from view of the village below, meaning that they could practice Quidditch there, as long as they didn't fly too high. **

**They couldn't use real Quidditch balls, which would have been hard to explain if they had escaped and flown away over the village; instead they threw apples for one another to catch. They took turns riding Harry's Nimbus Two Thousand, which was easily the best broom; Ron's old Shooting Star was often outstripped by passing butterflies. **

**Five minutes later they were marching up the hill, broomsticks over their shoulders. They had asked Percy if he wanted to join them, but he had said he was busy. Harry had only seen Percy at mealtimes so far; he stayed shut in his room the rest of the time. **

"**Wish I knew what he was up to," said Fred, frowning. "He's not himself. His exam results came the day before you did; twelve O.W.L.s and he hardly gloated at all." **

"I'm tellin' ya, he's getting some action," James grinned at Lily before smirking at the twins, who laughed while Percy blushed some more.

"**Ordinary Wizarding Levels," George explained, seeing Harry's puzzled look. "Bill got twelve, too. If we're not careful, we'll have another Head Boy in the family. I don't think I could stand the shame." **

James snorted while shaking his head and Harry bit his lip, remembering how badly he wanted to be a prefect this past year. Would the twins judge him for that?

**Bill was the oldest Weasley brother. He and the next brother, Charlie, had already left Hogwarts. Harry had never met either of them, but knew that Charlie was in Romania studying dragons and Bill in Egypt working for the wizard's bank, Gringotts. **

"So bloody cool." James whispered while Bill and Charlie grinned at each other and pounded their fists with one another, having seen muggles do that.

"**Dunno how Mum and Dad are going to afford all our school stuff this year," said George after a while. "Five sets of Lockhart books! And Ginny needs robes and a wand and everything…" **

**Harry said nothing. He felt a bit awkward. **

"Mate, it's fine—"

"We know you've got money—"

"And we don't care—" The twins stated, but Harry could only shrug.

**Stored in an underground vault at Gringotts in London was a small fortune that his parents had left him. **

"Of course, it shouldn't be small. It should be in a room as large as this," James growled, while Harry looked up in shock. With one look at Remus and Sirius, he could instantly tell that they were furious, and knew that not only would his family be talking to Albus, but him also.

**Of course, it was only in the wizarding world that he had money; you couldn't use Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts in Muggle shops. He had never mentioned his Gringotts bank account to the Dursleys; he didn't think their horror of anything connected with magic would stretch to a large pile of gold.**

"Hermione, how do muggleborns get money? Do they have to earn it?" Harry asked, confused as to how, not only how muggleborns could pay for their schooling, but how they could pay for the trips and extras.

Hermione, who hadn't been paying attention, was torn from her thoughts at that, and bit her lip, trying to reply.

"I can answer that for you Harry, but not now, alright?" Lily said, and Harry nodded his head.

**Mrs. Weasley woke them all early the following Wednesday. After a quick half a dozen bacon sandwiches each, they pulled on their coats and Mrs. Weasley took a flowerpot off the kitchen mantelpiece and peered inside. **

"**We're running low, Arthur," she sighed. "We'll have to buy some more today… Ah well, guests first! After you, Harry dear!" **

**And she offered him the flowerpot. Harry stared at them all watching him.**

James sighed, before interrupting Narcissa, "He's not going to know what to do, Molly,"

"**W-what am I supposed to do?" he stammered. **

"See?"

"**He's never traveled by Floo powder," said Ron suddenly. "Sorry, Harry, I forgot." **

"**Never?" said Mr. Weasley. "But how did you get to Diagon Alley to buy your school things last year?" **

"**I went on the Underground —" **

"**Really?" said Mr. Weasley eagerly. "Were there **_**escapators**_**? How exactly —" **

Lily snorted, and James mouthed "escapators" silently before shrugging.

"**Not **_**now**_**, Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley. "Floo powder's a lot quicker, dear, but goodness me, if you've never used it before —" **

"**He'll be all right, Mum," said Fred. "Harry, watch us first." He took a pinch of glittering powder out of the flowerpot, stepped up to the fire, and threw the powder into the flames. **

**With a roar, the fire turned emerald green and rose higher than Fred, who stepped right into it, shouted, "Diagon Alley!" and vanished. **

"**You must speak clearly, dear," Mrs. Weasley told Harry as George dipped his hand into the flowerpot. "And be sure to get out at the right grate…" **

"**The right what?" said Harry nervously as the fire roared and whipped George out of sight, too. **

"**Well, there are an awful lot of wizard fires to choose from, you know, but as long as you've spoken clearly —" **

"**He'll be fine, Molly, don't fuss," said Mr. Weasley, helping himself to Floo powder too. **

"**But, dear, if he got lost, how would we ever explain to his aunt and uncle?" **

"**They wouldn't mind," Harry reassured her. "Dudley would think it was a brilliant joke if I got lost up a chimney, don't worry about that —" **

Sirius growled at this.

"**Well… all right… you go after Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley. "Now, when you get into the fire, say where you're going." **

"**And keep your elbows tucked in," Ron advised. **

"**And your eyes shut," said Mrs. Weasley. "The soot —" **

"**Don't fidget," said Ron. "Or you might well fall out of the wrong fireplace —" **

"**But don't panic and get out too early; wait until you see Fred and George." **

"This is just going to confuse him," Lily sighed, knowing how Harry felt.

**Trying hard to bear all this in mind, Harry took a pinch of Floo powder and walked to the edge of the fire. He took a deep breath, scattered the powder into the flames, and stepped forward; the fire felt like a warm breeze; he opened his mouth and immediately swallowed a lot of hot ash. **

"**D-Dia-gon Alley," he coughed. **

"Not good," Remus sighed, while many others nodded in agreement.

**It felt as though he was being sucked down a giant drain. He seemed to be spinning very fast — the roaring in his ears was deafening — he tried to keep his eyes open but the whirl of green flames made him feel sick —something hard knocked his elbow and he tucked it in tightly, still spinning and spinning — now it felt as though cold hands were slapping his face — squinting through his glasses he saw a blurred stream of fireplaces and snatched glimpses of the rooms beyond — his bacon sandwiches were churning inside him — he closed his eyes again wishing it would stop, and then… **

**He fell, face forward, onto cold stone and felt the bridge of his glasses snap. **

**Dizzy and bruised, covered in soot, he got gingerly to his feet, holding his broken glasses up to his eyes. He was quite alone, but where he was, he had no idea. All he could tell was that he was standing in the stone fireplace of what looked like a large, dimly lit wizard's shop — but nothing in here was ever likely to be on a Hogwarts school list. **

**A glass case nearby held a withered hand on a cushion, a bloodstained pack of cards, and a staring glass eye.**

Sirius whimpered, knowing immediately where his godson was, Remus sighed, Lily looked worried and Lucius and Draco paled.

**Evil-looking masks stared down from the walls, an assortment of human bones lay upon the counter, and rusty, spiked instruments hung from the ceiling. **

"Cool," The twins murmured, staring at the book in fascination.

**Even worse, the dark, narrow street Harry could see through the dusty shop window was definitely not Diagon Alley. **

**The sooner he got out of here, the better. Nose still stinging where it had hit the hearth, Harry made his way swiftly and silently toward the door, but before he'd got halfway toward it, two people appeared on the other side of the glass — and one of them was the very last person Harry wanted to meet when he was lost, covered in soot, and wearing broken glasses: Draco Malfoy. **

Narcissa stopped reading, glared at her husband and son and then continued, though her body was tense in barely concealed anger.

**Harry looked quickly around and spotted a large black cabinet to his left; he shot inside it and pulled the doors closed, leaving a small crack to peer through. Seconds later, a bell clanged, and Malfoy stepped into the shop. **

**The man who followed could only be Draco's father. He had the same pale, pointed face and identical cold, gray eyes. Mr. Malfoy crossed the shop, looking lazily at the items on display, and rang a bell on the counter before turning to his son and saying, "Touch nothing, Draco." **

**Malfoy, who had reached for the glass eye, said, "I thought you were going to buy me a present." **

"Sounds like Dudley," Neville murmured, many laughing in response.

"**I said I would buy you a racing broom," said his father, drumming his fingers on the counter. **

"**What's the good of that if I'm not on the House team?" said Malfoy, looking sulky and bad-tempered.**

Draco paled even more.

"**Harry Potter got a Nimbus Two Thousand last year. Special permission from Dumbledore so he could play for Gryffindor. He's not even that good, it's just because he's **_**famous**_**… famous for having a stupid scar on his forehead…" **

"It is not because he's _famous_, Malfoy. It's because he's a bloody brilliant player," Surprisingly, not Minerva snarled, but Charlie, wanting to defend the honorary Weasley to all but Percy. Draco paled at this, and Harry snarled.

"Like I wanted to be famous for having a stupid scar on my forehead." Snape rolled his eyes at Potter's words, not believing a word of them.

**Malfoy bent down to examine a shelf full of skulls. **

"… **everyone thinks he's so smart, wonderful **_**Potter **_**with his **_**scar **_**and his **_**broomstick **_**—" **

"**You have told me this at least a dozen times already," said Mr. Malfoy, with a quelling look at his son. "And I would remind you that it is not — prudent — to appear less than fond of Harry Potter, not when most of our kind regard him as the hero who made the Dark Lord disappear — ah, Mr. Borgin." **

Many people snorted at this, not only because of the fact that Draco was apparently jealous – which just caused him to pale even more, so that he looked like a vampire – but that Malfoy basically admitted his beliefs in that one sentence alone. Narcissa, having finished reading this sentence, glared at both of them, to the shock of others.

**A stooping man had appeared behind the counter, smoothing his greasy hair back from his face. **

"**Mr. Malfoy, what a pleasure to see you again," said Mr. Borgin in a voice as oily as his hair. "Delighted — and young Master Malfoy, too — charmed. How may I be of assistance? I must show you, just in today, and very reasonably priced —" **

"**I'm not buying today, Mr. Borgin, but selling," said Mr. Malfoy. **

"**Selling?" The smile faded slightly from Mr. Borgin's face. **

"**You have heard, of course, that the Ministry is conducting more raids," said Mr. Malfoy, taking a roll of parchment from his inside pocket and unraveling it for Mr. Borgin to read. "I have a few — ah — items at home that might embarrass me, if the Ministry were to call…" **

Of bloody course, James snorted to himself while his Lily-flower rolled her eyes and the minister glared at Malfoy, who tried to shrink away.

**Mr. Borgin fixed a pair of pince-nez to his nose and looked down the list. **

"**The Ministry wouldn't presume to trouble you, sir, surely?" **

**Mr. Malfoy's lip curled. "I have not been visited yet. The name Malfoy still commands a certain respect, yet the Ministry grows ever more meddlesome. There are rumors about a new Muggle Protection Act — no doubt that flea-bitten, Muggle-loving fool Arthur Weasley is behind it —" **

All of the Weasley's growled in the direction of the Malfoy's, wands clenched in their hands in anger.

**Harry felt a hot surge of anger. **

"Good, mate." George snarled, still glaring, while Arthur blushed, humbled.

"— **and as you see, certain of these poisons might make it appear —" **

"**I understand, sir, of course," said Mr. Borgin. "Let me see…" **

"**Can I have **_**that**_**?" interrupted Draco, pointing at the withered hand on its cushion.**

"**Ah, the Hand of Glory!" said Mr. Borgin, abandoning Mr. Malfoy's list and scurrying over to Draco. "Insert a candle and it gives light only to the holder! Best friend of thieves and plunderers! Your son has fine taste, sir." **

Narcissa stopped herself from just laughing, causing her husband to glare at her in shock, but no one else could hold back their laughter, and it was a good five minutes before the reading could continue.

"**I hope my son will amount to more than a thief or a plunderer, Borgin," said Mr. Malfoy coldly, and Mr. Borgin said quickly, "No offense, sir, no offense meant —" **

"**Though if his grades don't pick up," said Mr. Malfoy, more coldly still, "that may indeed be all he is fit for —" **

"**It's not my fault," retorted Draco. "The teachers all have favorites, that Hermione Granger —" **

"**I would have thought you'd be ashamed that a girl of no wizard family beat you in every exam," snapped Mr. Malfoy. **

This time, it was Harry that growled, and his anger was so much that sparks were shooting out of his wand.

"**Ha!" said Harry under his breath, pleased to see Draco looking both abashed and angry. **

"**It's the same all over," said Mr. Borgin, in his oily voice. "Wizard blood is counting for less everywhere —" **

"**Not with me," said Mr. Malfoy, his long nostrils flaring. **

"**No, sir, nor with me, sir," said Mr. Borgin, with a deep bow. **

"**In that case, perhaps we can return to my list," said Mr. Malfoy shortly. "I am in something of a hurry, Borgin, I have important business elsewhere today —" **

**They started to haggle. Harry watched nervously as Draco drew nearer and nearer to his hiding place, examining the objects for sale. Draco paused to examine a long coil of hangman's rope and to read, smirking, the card propped on a magnificent necklace of opals, **_**Caution: Do Not Touch. Cursed — Has Claimed the Lives of Nineteen Muggle Owners to Date. **_

**Draco turned away and saw the cabinet right in front of him. He walked forward — he stretched out his hand for the handle "Done," said Mr. Malfoy at the counter. "Come, Draco —" **

"Oh thank goodness Harry," Lily sighed.

**Harry wiped his forehead on his sleeve as Draco turned away. **

"**Good day to you, Mr. Borgin. I'll expect you at the manor tomorrow to pick up the goods." **

**The moment the door had closed, Mr. Borgin dropped his oily manner. **

"**Good day yourself, **_**Mister **_**Malfoy, and if the stories are true, you haven't sold me half of what's hidden in your **_**manor**_**…"**

Many people snorted at this, while Lucius and Draco paled more than ever and Narcissa glared at them both.

**Muttering darkly, Mr. Borgin disappeared into a back room. Harry waited for a minute in case he came back, then, quietly as he could, slipped out of the cabinet, past the glass cases, and out of the shop door. **

**Clutching his broken glasses to his face, Harry stared around. He had emerged into a dingy alleyway that seemed to be made up entirely of shops devoted to the Dark Arts. The one he'd just left, Borgin and Burkes, looked like the largest, but opposite was a nasty window display of shrunken heads and, two doors down, a large cage was alive with gigantic black spiders.**

Ron shuddered.

**Two shabby-looking wizards were watching him from the shadow of a doorway, muttering to each other. Feeling jumpy, Harry set off, trying to hold his glasses on straight and hoping against hope he'd be able to find a way out of here. **

**An old wooden street sign hanging over a shop selling poisonous candles told him he was in Knockturn Alley. This didn't help, as Harry had never heard of such a place. He supposed he hadn't spoken clearly enough through his mouthful of ashes back in the Weasleys' fire. Trying to stay calm, he wondered what to do. **

"**Not lost are you, my dear?" said a voice in his ear, making him jump. **

**An aged witch stood in front of him, holding a tray of what looked horribly like whole human fingernails. She leered at him, showing mossy teeth. Harry backed away. **

"**I'm fine, thanks," he said. "I'm just —" **

"**HARRY! What d'yeh think yer doin' down there?" **

"Oh thank god, it's Hagrid," Lily sighed, smiling slightly.

**Harry's heart leapt. So did the witch; a load of fingernails cascaded down over her feet and she cursed as the massive form of Hagrid, the Hogwarts' gamekeeper, came striding toward them, beetle-black eyes flashing over his great bristling beard. **

"**Hagrid!" Harry croaked in relief. "I was lost — Floo powder —" **

**Hagrid seized Harry by the scruff of the neck and pulled him away from the witch, knocking the tray right out of her hands. **

"Hagrid, be nice to my son's neck," James sighed, shaking his head while Hagrid blushed.

**Her shrieks followed them all the way along the twisting alleyway out into bright sunlight. Harry saw a familiar, snow-white marble building in the distance — Gringotts Bank. Hagrid had steered him right into Diagon Alley. **

"**Yer a mess!" said Hagrid gruffly, brushing soot off Harry so forcefully he nearly knocked him into a barrel of dragon dung outside an apothecary. "Skulkin' around Knockturn Alley, I dunno dodgy place, Harry — don' want no one ter see yeh down there —" **

"**I realized **_**that**_**," said Harry, ducking as Hagrid made to brush him off again. "I told you, I was lost — what were you doing down there, anyway?" **

"_**I **_**was lookin' fer a Flesh-Eatin' Slug Repellent," growled Hagrid. "They're ruinin' the school cabbages. Yer not on yer own?" **

"**I'm staying with the Weasleys but we got separated," Harry explained. "I've got to go and find them…" **

**They set off together down the street. **

"**How come yeh never wrote back ter me?" said Hagrid as Harry jogged alongside him (he had to take three steps to every stride of Hagrid's enormous boots). Harry explained all about Dobby and the Dursleys. **

"**Lousy Muggles," growled Hagrid. "If I'd've known —" **

"**Harry! Harry! Over here!" **

**Harry looked up and saw Hermione Granger standing at the top of the white flight of steps to Gringotts. She ran down to meet them, her bushy brown hair flying behind her. **

Hermione blushed, trying to smother her hair while Harry grinned and twirled her, causing many people to awe at them.

"**What happened to your glasses? Hello, Hagrid — Oh, it's **_**wonderful **_**to see you two again — Are you coming into Gringotts, Harry?" **

"**As soon as I've found the Weasleys," said Harry. **

"**Yeh won't have long ter wait," Hagrid said with a grin. **

**Harry and Hermione looked around: Sprinting up the crowded street were Ron, Fred, George, Percy, and Mr. Weasley. **

"**Harry," Mr. Weasley panted. "We **_**hoped **_**you'd only gone one grate too far…" He mopped his glistening bald patch. "Molly's frantic — she's coming now —" **

"**Where did you come out?" Ron asked. **

"**Knockturn Alley," said Hagrid grimly. **

"_**Excellent!" **_**said Fred and George together. **

"**We've never been allowed in," said Ron enviously. **

"**I should ruddy well think not," growled Hagrid. Mrs. Weasley now came galloping into view, her handbag swinging wildly in one hand, Ginny just clinging onto the other. **

"Why am I always portrayed as someone much younger than what I am?" Ginny pouted, crossing her arms while Hermione just rolled her eyes and Lily laughed.

"**Oh, Harry — oh, my dear — you could have been anywhere —" Gasping for breath she pulled a large clothes brush out of her bag and began sweeping off the soot Hagrid hadn't managed to beat away. Mr. Weasley took Harry's glasses, gave them a tap of his wand, and returned them, good as new. **

"**Well, gotta be off," said Hagrid, who was having his hand wrung by Mrs. Weasley ("Knockturn Alley! If you hadn't found him, Hagrid!"). "See yer at Hogwarts!" And he strode away, head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the packed street. **

"**Guess who I saw in Borgin and Burkes?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione as they climbed the Gringotts steps. "Malfoy and his father." **

"**Did Lucius Malfoy buy anything?" said Mr. Weasley sharply behind them. **

"**No, he was selling —" **

"**So he's worried," said Mr. Weasley with grim satisfaction. "Oh, I'd love to get Lucius Malfoy for something…" **

"You and me both, Arthur," Narcissa growled, causing many to look up at her in shock.

"**You be careful, Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley sharply as they were bowed into the bank by a goblin at the door. "That family's trouble. Don't go biting off more than you can chew —" **

"**So you don't think I'm a match for Lucius Malfoy?" said Mr. Weasley indignantly, but he was distracted almost at once by the sight of Hermione's parents, who were standing nervously at the counter that ran all along the great marble hall, waiting for Hermione to introduce them. **

"**But you're **_**Muggles**_**!" said Mr. Weasley delightedly. "We must have a drink! What's that you've got there? Oh, you're changing Muggle money. Molly, look!" He pointed excitedly at the ten-pound notes in Mr. Granger's hand. **

"**Meet you back here," Ron said to Hermione as the Weasleys and Harry were led off to their underground vaults by another Gringotts goblin. **

**The vaults were reached by means of small, goblin-driven carts that sped along miniature train tracks through the bank's underground tunnels. Harry enjoyed the breakneck journey down to the Weasleys' vault, but felt dreadful, far worse than he had in Knockturn Alley, when it was opened. There was a very small pile of silver Sickles inside, and just one gold Galleon. Mrs. Weasley felt right into the corners before sweeping the whole lot into her bag. Harry felt even worse when they reached his vault. He tried to block the contents from view as he hastily shoved handfuls of coins into a leather bag. **

**Back outside on the marble steps, they all separated. Percy muttered vaguely about needing a new quill. Fred and George had spotted their friend from Hogwarts, Lee Jordan. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were going to a secondhand robe shop. Mr. Weasley was insisting on taking the Grangers off to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink. **

"**We'll all meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour to buy your schoolbooks," said Mrs. Weasley, setting off with Ginny. "And not one step down Knockturn Alley!" she shouted at the twins' retreating backs. **

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione strolled off along the winding, cobbled street. The bag of gold, silver, and bronze jangling cheerfully in Harry's pocket was clamoring to be spent, so he bought three large strawberry-and-peanut-butter ice creams, which they slurped happily as they wandered up the alley, examining the fascinating shop windows. Ron gazed longingly at a full set of Chudley Cannon robes in the windows of Quality Quidditch Supplies until Hermione dragged them off to buy ink and parchment next door. In Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop, they met Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, who were stocking up on Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks, and in a tiny junk shop full of broken wands, lopsided brass scales, and old cloaks covered in potion stains they found Percy, deeply immersed in a small and deeply boring book called **_**Prefects Who Gained Power**_**. **

"_**A study of Hogwarts prefects and their later careers," **_**Ron read aloud off the back cover. "That sounds **_**fascinating**_**…" **

"**Go away," Percy snapped. **

"'**Course, he's very ambitious, Percy, he's got it all planned out… He wants to be Minister of Magic…" Ron told Harry and Hermione in an undertone as they left Percy to it. **

Many of the Weasley's glared at Percy, who only glared right back.

**An hour later, they headed for Flourish and Blotts. They were by no means the only ones making their way to the bookshop. As they approached it, they saw to their surprise a large crowd jostling outside the doors, trying to get in. The reason for this was proclaimed by a large banner stretched across the upper windows: **

_**GILDEROY LOCKHART will be signing copies of his autobiography MAGICAL ME today 12:30P. 4:30P.M. **_

"**We can actually meet him!" Hermione squealed. "I mean, he's written almost the whole booklist!" **

"Oh Hermione, not a sensible girl like yourself," James groaned, putting his head in his hands.

**The crowd seemed to be made up mostly of witches around Mrs. Weasley's age. A harassed-looking wizard stood at the door, saying, "Calmly, please, ladies… Don't push, there… mind the books, now…" Harry, Ron, and Hermione squeezed inside. A long line wound right to the back of the shop, where Gilderoy Lockhart was signing his books. They each grabbed a copy of **_**The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 **_**and sneaked up the line to where the rest of the Weasleys were standing with Mr. and Mrs. Granger. **

"**Oh, there you are, good," said Mrs. Weasley. She sounded breathless and kept patting her hair. "We'll be able to see him in a minute…" **

**Gilderoy Lockhart came slowly into view, seated at a table surrounded by large pictures of his own face, all winking and flashing dazzlingly white teeth at the crowd. The real Lockhart was wearing robes of forget-me-not blue that exactly matched his eyes; his pointed wizard's hat was set at a jaunty angle on his wavy hair. **

**A short, irritable-looking man was dancing around taking photographs with a large black camera that emitted puffs of purple smoke with every blinding flash. **

"**Out of the way, there," he snarled at Ron, moving back to get a better shot. "This is for the **_**Daily Prophet **_**—" **

"Big deal," James muttered.

"**Big deal," said Ron, rubbing his foot where the photographer had stepped on it. **

**Gilderoy Lockhart heard him. He looked up. He saw Ron — and then he saw Harry. He stared. Then he leapt to his feet and positively shouted, "It **_**can't **_**be Harry Potter?" **

James groaned, knowing his son wouldn't like the attention.

**The crowd parted, whispering excitedly; Lockhart dived forward, seized Harry's arm, and pulled him to the front. The crowd burst into applause. Harry's face burned as Lockhart shook his hand for the photographer, who was clicking away madly, wafting thick smoke over the Weasleys. **

"**Nice big smile, Harry," said Lockhart, through his own gleaming teeth. "Together, you and I are worth the front page." **

**When he finally let go of Harry's hand, Harry could hardly feel his fingers. He tried to sidle back over to the Weasleys, but Lockhart threw an arm around his shoulders and clamped him tightly to his side. **

"**Ladies and gentlemen," he said loudly, waving for quiet. "What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time! **

"**When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography"**

"Ugh, no he didn't." Lily muttered, disgusted.

— "**which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge —" The crowd applauded again. "He had no **_**idea**_**," Lockhart continued, giving Harry a little shake that made his glasses slip to the end of his nose, "that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, **_**Magical Me**_**. He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"**

"Good load of good he did!" Fred muttered, shaking his head.

**The crowd cheered and clapped and Harry found himself being presented with the entire works of Gilderoy Lockhart. Staggering slightly under their weight, he managed to make his way out of the limelight to the edge of the room, where Ginny was standing next to her new cauldron. **

"**You have these," Harry mumbled to her, tipping the books into the cauldron. "I'll buy my own —" **

"Awh," Fred and George said, smirking at Ginny, who blushed and looked down.

"**Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" said a voice Harry had no trouble recognizing. He straightened up and found himself face-to-face with Draco Malfoy, who was wearing his usual sneer. **

"_**Famous **_**Harry Potter," said Malfoy. "Can't even go into a **_**bookshop **_**without making the front page." **

"Like he wanted to!" Cho muttered.

"**Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" said Ginny. It was the first time she had spoken in front of Harry. She was glaring at Malfoy. **

"**Potter, you've got yourself a **_**girlfriend**_**!" drawled Malfoy. Ginny went scarlet as Ron and Hermione fought their way over, both clutching stacks of Lockhart's books. **

Ginny went scarlet once more when she heard Harry's parents burst out laughing, and when she looked at them, she couldn't help but feel a little hurt. Remus having noticed this, glared at the two, who sobered immediately.

"We're sorry, Ginevra. It's just – well, Malfoy's just—" James started, but couldn't finish due to his laughter.

"**Oh, it's you," said Ron, looking at Malfoy as if he were something unpleasant on the sole of his shoe. "Bet you're surprised to see Harry here, eh?" **

"**Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley," retorted Malfoy. "I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all those." **

"DRACO!" Narcissa shouted, interrupting herself.

**Ron went as red as Ginny. He dropped his books into the cauldron, too, and started toward Malfoy, but Harry and Hermione grabbed the back of his jacket. **

"**Ron!" said Mr. Weasley, struggling over with Fred and George. "What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside." **

"**Well, well, well — Arthur Weasley." **

**It was Mr. Malfoy. He stood with his hand on Draco's shoulder, sneering in just the same way. **

"**Lucius," said Mr. Weasley, nodding coldly. **

"**Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," said Mr. Malfoy. "All those raids… I hope they're paying you overtime?" **

**He reached into Ginny's cauldron and extracted, from amid the glossy Lockhart books, a very old, very battered copy of **_**A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration**_**. **

"**Obviously not," Mr. Malfoy said. "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?" Mr. Weasley flushed darker than either Ron or Ginny. **

The Weasley's growled once more, with James joining them, his wand clenched in his hand. He never did like any of the Malfoy's.

"**We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," he said. **

"**Clearly," said Mr. Malfoy, his pale eyes straying to Mr. and Mrs. Granger, who were watching apprehensively. "The company you keep, Weasley… and I thought your family could sink no lower." **

**There was a thud of metal as Ginny's cauldron went flying; Mr. Weasley had thrown himself at Mr. Malfoy, knocking him backward into a bookshelf. Dozens of heavy spellbooks came thundering down on all their heads; there was a yell of, "Get him, Dad!" from Fred or George; Mrs. Weasley was shrieking, "No, Arthur, no!"; the crowd stampeded backward, knocking more shelves over; "Gentlemen, please — please!" cried the assistant, and then, louder than all — **

"**Break it up, there, gents, break it up —" **

**Hagrid was wading toward them through the sea of books. In an instant he had pulled Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy apart. Mr. Weasley had a cut lip and Mr. Malfoy had been hit in the eye by an **_**Encyclopedia of Toadstools**_**. He was still holding Ginny's old Transfiguration book. He thrust it at her, his eyes glittering with malice. **

"**Here, girl — take your book — it's the best your father can give you —" Pulling himself out of Hagrid's grip he beckoned to Draco and swept from the shop. **

"**Yeh should've ignored him, Arthur," said Hagrid, almost lifting Mr. Weasley off his feet as he straightened his robes. "Rotten ter the core, the whole family, everyone knows that — no Malfoy's worth listenin' ter — bad blood, that's what it is — come on now — let's get outta here." **

**The assistant looked as though he wanted to stop them leaving, but he barely came up to Hagrid's waist and seemed to think better of it. They hurried up the street, the Grangers shaking with fright and Mrs. Weasley beside herself with fury. **

"**A fine example to set for your children… **_**brawling **_**in public… **_**what **_**Gilderoy Lockhart must've thought —" **

"**He was pleased," said Fred. "Didn't you hear him as we were leaving? He was asking that bloke from the **_**Daily Prophet **_**if he'd be able to work the fight into his report — said it was all publicity —" **

**But it was a subdued group that headed back to the fireside in the Leaky Cauldron, where Harry, the Weasleys, and all their shopping would be traveling back to the Burrow using Floo powder. They said good-bye to the Grangers, who were leaving the pub for the Muggle street on the other side; Mr. Weasley started to ask them how bus stops worked, but stopped quickly at the look on Mrs. Weasley's face. **

"Why do you always stop Arthur from talking about the things he loves? When James talks about the things he's passionate about, I feel absolutely exhilarated," Lily stated, before widening her eyes, not realizing how loud she was, nor how red Molly was.

**Harry took off his glasses and put them safely in his pocket before helping himself to Floo powder. It definitely wasn't his favorite way to travel.**

"Understandable. Who wants to read next?" Narcissa stated, letting the book float in the air. Within minutes, the book went to Amelia, who smiled lightly and opened the book once more.


	25. Chapter 25

"**CHAPTER FIVE, The Whomping Willow" **Amelia started, letting everyone think about what the title meant. James, Sirius, Remus and Lily, knowing what the tree truly was like, all looked at Harry, who shrugged and grinned. Snape flinched, Minerva smirked and everyone else laughed.

**The end of the summer vacation came too quickly for Harry's liking. He was looking forward to getting back to Hogwarts, but his month at the Burrow had been the happiest of his life. It was difficult not to feel jealous of Ron when he thought of the Dursleys and the sort of welcome he could expect next time he turned up on Privet Drive. **

Sirius whimpered and Harry hugged him, whispering that it was okay, that it didn't matter. If anything, Harry was more worried about how his thoughts in his third year would make his godfather feel.

**On their last evening, Mrs. Weasley conjured up a sumptuous dinner that included all of Harry's favorite things, ending with a mouthwatering treacle pudding. Fred and George rounded off the evening with a display of Filibuster fireworks; they filled the kitchen with red and blue stars that bounced from ceiling to wall for at least half an hour. Then it was time for a last mug of hot chocolate and bed. **

**It took a long while to get started next morning. They were up at dawn, but somehow they still seemed to have a great deal to do. Mrs. Weasley dashed about in a bad mood looking for spare socks and quills; people kept colliding on the stairs, half-dressed with bits of toast in their hands; and Mr. Weasley nearly broke his neck, tripping over a stray chicken as he crossed the yard carrying Ginny's trunk to the car. **

**Harry couldn't see how eight people, six large trunks, two owls, and a rat were going to fit into one small Ford Anglia. He had reckoned, of course, without the special features that Mr. Weasley had added. **

"And you know, more magic," James grinned.

"**Not a word to Molly," he whispered to Harry as he opened the trunk and showed him how it had been magically expanded so that the luggage fitted easily. **

**When at last they were all in the car, Mrs. Weasley glanced into the back seat, where Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Percy were all sitting comfortably side by side, and said, "Muggles **_**do **_**know more than we give them credit for, don't they?" She and Ginny got into the front seat, which had been stretched so that it resembled a park bench. "I mean, you'd never know it was this roomy from the outside, would you?" **

James and Lily snorted, shaking their heads, as Molly looked at Arthur angrily, who just grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

**Mr. Weasley started up the engine and they trundled out of the yard, Harry turning back for a last look at the house. He barely had time to wonder when he'd see it again when they were back. George had forgotten his box of Filibuster fireworks. Five minutes after that, they skidded to a halt in the yard so that Fred could run in for his broomstick. They had almost reached the highway when Ginny shrieked that she'd left her diary. By the time she had clambered back into the car, they were running very late, and tempers were running high. Mr. Weasley glanced at his watch and then at his wife. **

"**Molly, dear —" **

"_**No**_**, Arthur —–" **

"**No one would see — this little button here is an Invisibility Booster I installed — that'd get us up in the air — then we fly above the clouds. We'd be there in ten minutes and no one would be any the wiser —" **

"**I said no, Arthur, not in broad daylight —" **

"Pity. Love to see that beauty fly," James sighed wistfully while Harry smirked at Ron.

**They reached King's Cross at a quarter to eleven. Mr. Weasley dashed across the road to get trolleys for their trunks and they all hurried into the station.**

**Harry had caught the Hogwarts Express the previous year. The tricky part was getting onto platform nine and three-quarters, which wasn't visible to the Muggle eye. What you had to do was walk through the solid barrier dividing platforms nine and ten. It didn't hurt, but it had to be done carefully so that none of the Muggles noticed you vanishing. **

"**Percy first," said Mrs. Weasley, looking nervously at the clock overhead, which showed they had only five minutes to disappear casually through the barrier. **

**Percy strode briskly forward and vanished. Mr. Weasley went next; Fred and George followed. **

"**I'll take Ginny and you two come right after us," Mrs. Weasley told Harry and Ron, grabbing Ginny's hand and setting off. In the blink of an eye they were gone. **

"**Let's go together, we've only got a minute," Ron said to Harry. **

**Harry made sure that Hedwig's cage was safely wedged on top of his trunk and wheeled his trolley around to face the barrier. He felt perfectly confident; this wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as using Floo powder. Both of them bent low over the handles of their trolleys and walked purposefully toward the barrier, gathering speed. A few feet away from it, they broke into a run and — **

**CRASH. **

"What?" James asked, sitting up straighter with a look of worry on his face.

**Both trolleys hit the barrier and bounced backward; Ron's trunk fell off with a loud thump, Harry was knocked off his feet, and Hedwig's cage bounced onto the shiny floor, and she rolled away, shrieking indignantly; people all around them stared and a guard nearby yelled, "What in blazes d'you think you're doing?" **

"**Lost control of the trolley," Harry gasped, clutching his ribs as he got up. Ron ran to pick up Hedwig, who was causing such a scene that there was a lot of muttering about cruelty to animals from the surrounding crowd. **

"**Why can't we get through?" Harry hissed to Ron. **

"**I dunno —" **

"But the barrier has never been sealed!" Lily cried, worried for her son, despite him being right there in front of her.

**Ron looked wildly around. A dozen curious people were still watching them. "We're going to miss the train," Ron whispered. "I don't understand why the gateway's sealed itself —" **

**Harry looked up at the giant clock with a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. Ten seconds… nine seconds… He wheeled his trolley forward cautiously until it was right against the barrier and pushed with all his might. The metal remained solid. Three seconds… two seconds… one second… **

"**It's gone," said Ron, sounding stunned. "The train's left. What if Mum and Dad can't get back through to us? Have you got any Muggle money?" **

**Harry gave a hollow laughed. "The Dursleys haven't given me pocket money for about six years." Ron pressed his ear to the cold barrier. **

"**Can't hear a thing," he said tensely, "What're we going to do? I don't know how long it'll take Mum and Dad to get back to us." They looked around. People were still watching them, mainly because of Hedwig's continuing screeches. **

"**I think we'd better go and wait by the car," said Harry. "We're attracting too much atten —" **

"**Harry!" said Ron, his eyes gleaming. "The car!" **

"**What about it?" **

"**We can fly the car to Hogwarts!" **

"AMAZING!" James shouted, grinning.

"**But I thought —" **

"**We're stuck, right? And we've got to get to school, haven't we? And even underage wizards are allowed to use magic if it's a real emergency, section nineteen or something of the Restriction of Thingy —" **

"But you have an owl! I get that you're young, and panicked, but, well, OWL. Harry James, you should realize—" Lily started, only to glare at her husband, who had put a silencing charm on her.

"Sorry Lily-flower, but I really want to hear this," James shrugged.

"**But your Mum and Dad…" said Harry, pushing against the barrier again in the vain hope that it would give way. "How will they get home?" **

"**They don't need the car!" said Ron impatiently. "They know how to Apparate! You know, just vanish and reappear at home! They only bother with Floo powder and the car because we're all underage and we're not allowed to Apparate yet…" Harry's feeling of panic turned suddenly to excitement. **

Lily silently snorted, James pumped his fist and Sirius, though he was looking at Harry often, wagged his tail.

"**Can you fly it?" **

"**No, problem," said Ron, wheeling his trolley around to face the exit. "C'mon, let's go. If we hurry we'll be able to follow the Hogwarts Express —" And they marched off through the crowd of curious Muggles, out of the station and back onto the side road where the old Ford Anglia was parked. Ron unlocked the cavernous trunk with a series of taps from his wand. They heaved their luggage back in, put Hedwig on the back seat, and got into the front. **

"**Check that no one's watching," said Ron, starting the ignition with another tap of his wand. Harry stuck his head out of the window: Traffic was rumbling along the main road ahead, but their street was empty. **

"**Okay," he said. Ron pressed a tiny silver button on the dashboard. The car around them vanished — and so did they. Harry could feel the seat vibrating beneath him, hear the engine, feel his hands on his knees and his glasses on his nose, but for all he could see, he had become a pair of eyeballs, floating a few feet above the ground in a dingy street full of parked cars. **

"Pretty sure your eyeballs would also become invisible," Draco snorted.

"**Let's go," said Ron's voice from his right. **

**And the ground and the dirty buildings on either side fell away, dropping out of sight as the car rose; in seconds, the whole of London lay, smoky and glittering, below them. **

**Then there was a popping noise and the car, Harry, and Ron reappeared. **

"**Uh-oh," said Ron, jabbing at the Invisibility Booster. "It's faulty —" **

"That's not good!" Lily sighed, having been released from the silencing charm after threatening James with no extra fun activities.

**Both of them pummeled it. The car vanished. Then it flickered back again. **

"**Hold on!" Ron yelled, and he slammed his foot on the accelerator; they shot straight into the low, woolly clouds and everything turned dull and foggy. **

"**Now what?" said Harry, blinking at the solid mass of cloud pressing in on them from all sides. **

"**We need to see the train to know what direction to go in," said Ron. **

"**Dip back down again — quickly —" They dropped back beneath the clouds and twisted around in their seats, squinting at the ground. **

"**I can see it!" Harry yelled. "Right ahead — there!" The Hogwarts Express was streaking along below them like a scarlet snake. **

"**Due north," said Ron, checking the compass on the dashboard. "Okay, we'll just have to check on it every half hour or so — hold on —" And they shot up through the clouds. A minute later, they burst out into a blaze of sunlight. It was a different world. The wheels of the car skimmed the sea of fluffy cloud, the sky a bright, endless blue under the blinding white sun. **

"**All we've got to worry about now are airplanes," said Ron. **

"Those fly higher, Ronald," Hermione laughed.

**They looked at each other and started to laugh; for a long time, they couldn't stop. **

**It was as though they had been plunged into a fabulous dream. This, thought Harry, was surely the only way to travel — past swirls and turrets of snowy cloud, in a car full of hot, bright sunlight, with a fat pack of toffees in the glove compartment, and the prospect of seeing Fred's and George's jealous faces when they landed smoothly and spectacularly on the sweeping lawn in front of Hogwarts castle. **

"We would've been,"

"So very jealous,"

"If only you,"

"Had landed smoothly." Fred finished, grinning, while James and Lily looked on, horrified.

**They made regular checks on the train as they flew farther and farther north, each dip beneath the clouds showing them a different view. London was soon far behind them, replaced by neat green fields that gave way in turn to wide, purplish moors, a great city alive with cars like multicolored ants, villages with tiny toy churches. **

**Several uneventful hours later, however, Harry had to admit that some of the fun was wearing off. The toffees had made them extremely thirsty and they had nothing to drink. He and Ron had pulled off their sweaters, but Harry's T-shirt was sticking to the back of his seat and his glasses kept sliding down to the end of his sweaty nose. He had stopped noticing the fantastic cloud shapes now and was thinking longingly of the train miles below, where you could buy ice-cold pumpkin juice from a trolley pushed by a plump witch. **_**Why **_**hadn't they been able to get onto platform nine and three-quarters? **

"**Can't be much further, can it?" croaked Ron, hours later still, as the sun started to sink into their floor of cloud, staining it a deep pink. "Ready for another check on the train?" **

**It was still right below them, winding its way past a snowcapped mountain. It was much darker beneath the canopy of clouds. **

**Ron put his foot on the accelerator and drove them upward again, but as he did so, the engine began to whine. Harry and Ron exchanged nervous glances. **

"**It's probably just tired," said Ron. "It's never been this far before…" **

**And they both pretended not to notice the whining growing louder and louder as the sky became steadily darker. Stars were blossoming in the blackness. Harry pulled his sweater back on, trying to ignore the way the windshield wipers were now waving feebly, as though in protest. **

"Oh dear," Lily whispered.

"**Not far," said Ron, more to the car than to Harry, "not far now," and he patted the dashboard nervously. **

**When they flew back beneath the clouds a little while later, they had to squint through the darkness for a landmark they knew. **

"_**There**_**!" Harry shouted, making Ron and Hedwig jump. "Straight ahead!" Silhouetted on the dark horizon, high on the cliff over the lake, stood the many turrets and towers of Hogwarts castle. But the car had begun to shudder and was losing speed. **

"**Come on," Ron said cajolingly, giving the steering wheel a little shake, "nearly there, come on —" The engine groaned. Narrow jets of steam were issuing from under the hood. Harry found himself gripping the edges of his seat very hard as they flew toward the lake. **

**The car gave a nasty wobble. Glancing out of his window, Harry saw the smooth, black, glassy surface of the water, a mile below. Ron's knuckles were white on the steering wheel. The car wobbled again. **

"**Come on," Ron muttered. **

**They were over the lake — the castle was right ahead — Ron put his foot down. There was a loud clunk, a splutter, and the engine died completely. **

"**Uh-oh," said Ron, into the silence. **

James flinched while Lily covered her eyes.

**The nose of the car dropped. They were falling, gathering speed, heading straight for the solid castle wall. **

"_**Noooooo!" **_**Ron yelled, swinging the steering wheel around; they missed the dark stone wall by inches as the car turned in a great arc, soaring over the dark greenhouses, then the vegetable patch, and then out over the black lawns, losing altitude all the time. Ron let go of the steering wheel completely and pulled his wand out of his back pocket — **

"**STOP! STOP!" he yelled, whacking the dashboard and the windshield, but they were still plummeting, the ground flying up toward them — **

"**WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!" Harry bellowed, lunging for the steering wheel, but too late — **

**CRUNCH. **

"I see why this is titled after a horrible tree," James grimaced.

**With an earsplitting bang of metal on wood, they hit the thick tree trunk and dropped to the ground with a heavy jolt. Steam was billowing from under the crumpled hood; Hedwig was shrieking in terror; a golfball-size lump was throbbing on Harry's head where he had hit the windshield; and to his right, Ron let out a low, despairing groan. **

"**Are you okay?" Harry said urgently. **

"**My wand," said Ron, in a shaky voice. "Look at my wand —" **

**It had snapped, almost in two; the tip was dangling limply, held on by a few splinters. **

**Harry opened his mouth to say he was sure they'd be able to mend it up at the school, but he never even got started. At that very moment, something hit his side of the car with the force of a charging bull, sending him lurching sideways into Ron, just as an equally heavy blow hit the roof. **

"**What's happen —?" **

**Ron gasped, staring through the windshield, and Harry looked around just in time to see a branch as thick as a python smash into it. The tree they had hit was attacking them. Its trunk was bent almost double, and its gnarled boughs were pummeling every inch of the car it could reach. **

"**Aaargh!" said Ron as another twisted limb punched a large dent into his door; the windshield was now trembling under a hail of blows from knuckle-like twigs and a branch as thick as a battering ram was pounding furiously on the roof, which seemed to be caving in. **

"**Run for it!" Ron shouted, throwing his full weight against his door, but next second he had been knocked backward into Harry's lap by a vicious uppercut from another branch. **

"**We're done for!" he moaned as the ceiling sagged, but suddenly the floor of the car was vibrating — the engine had restarted. **

"_**Reverse**_**!" Harry yelled, and the car shot backward; the tree was still trying to hit them; they could hear its roots creaking as it almost ripped itself up, lashing out at them as they sped out of reach. **

"**That," panted Ron, "was close. Well done, car —" **

**The car, however, had reached the end of its tether. With two sharp clunks, the doors flew open and Harry felt his seat tip sideways: Next thing he knew he was sprawled on the damp ground. Loud thuds told him that the car was ejecting their luggage from the trunk; Hedwig's cage flew through the air and burst open; she rose out of it with an angry screech and sped off toward the castle without a backward look. Then, dented, scratched, and steaming, the car rumbled off into the darkness, its rear lights blazing angrily. **

"**Come back!" Ron yelled after it, brandishing his broken wand. "Dad'll kill me!" **

**But the car disappeared from view with one last snort from its exhaust. **

"No, not me. More like your mother," Arthur muttered, while Molly glared.

"**Can you **_**believe **_**our luck?" said Ron miserably, bending down to pick up Scabbers. "Of all the trees we could've hit, we had to get one that hits back." He glanced over his shoulder at the ancient tree, which was still flailing its branches threateningly. **

"**Come on," said Harry wearily, "we'd better get up to the school…" **

**It wasn't at all the triumphant arrival they had pictured. Stiff, cold, and bruised, they seized the ends of their trunks and began dragging them up the grassy slope, toward the great oak front doors. **

"**I think the feast's already started," said Ron, dropping his trunk at the foot of the front steps and crossing quietly to look through a brightly lit window. "Hey — Harry — come and look — it's the Sorting!" Harry hurried over and, together, he and Ron peered in at the Great Hall. Innumerable candles were hovering in midair over four long, crowded tables, making the golden plates and goblets sparkle. Overhead, the bewitched ceiling, which always mirrored the sky outside, sparkled with stars. Through the forest of pointed black Hogwarts hats, Harry saw a long line of scared-looking first years filing into the Hall. Ginny was among them, easily visible because of her vivid Weasley hair. **

Ginny grinned, pleased that Harry was able to pick her out, and while looking for her too.

**Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall, a bespectacled witch with her hair in a tight bun, was placing the famous Hogwarts Sorting Hat on a stool before the newcomers. Every year, this aged old hat, patched, frayed, and dirty, sorted new students into the four Hogwarts houses (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin). Harry well remembered putting it on, exactly one year ago, and waiting, petrified, for its decision as it muttered aloud in his ear. For a few horrible seconds he had feared that the hat was going to put him in Slytherin, the house that had turned out more Dark witches and wizards than any other but he had ended up in Gryffindor, along with Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the Weasleys. Last term, Harry and Ron had helped Gryffindor win the House Championship, beating Slytherin for the first time in seven years. **

**A very small, mousy-haired boy had been called forward to place the hat on his head. Harry's eyes wandered past him to where Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster, sat watching the Sorting from the staff table, his long silver beard and half-moon glasses shining brightly in the candlelight. Several seats along, Harry saw Gilderoy Lockhart, dressed in robes of aquamarine. And there at the end was Hagrid, huge and hairy, drinking deeply from his goblet. **

"**Hang on…" Harry muttered to Ron. "There's an empty chair at the staff table… Where's Snape?" Professor Severus Snape was Harry's least favorite teacher. Harry also happened to be Snape's least favorite student. Cruel, sarcastic, and disliked by everybody except the students from his own house (Slytherin), Snape taught Potions. **

"**Maybe he's ill!" said Ron hopefully. **

"**Maybe he's **_**left**_**," said Harry, "because he missed out on the Defense Against Dark Arts job **_**again**_**!" **

"**Or he might have been **_**sacked**_**!" said Ron enthusiastically. "I mean, everyone hates him —" **

James and Lily flinched, before James looked over at Remus. "Or maybe he's behind them, eh Moon?" Remus nodded his head, a grimace on his face.

"**Or maybe," said a very cold voice right behind them, "he's waiting to hear why you two didn't arrive on the school train." Harry spun around. There, his black robes rippling in a cold breeze, stood Severus Snape. He was a thin man with sallow skin, a hooked nose, and greasy, shoulder-length black hair, and at this moment, he was smiling in a way that told Harry he and Ron were in very deep trouble. **

"**Follow me," said Snape. Not daring even to look at each other, Harry and Ron followed Snape up the steps into the vast, echoing entrance hall, which was lit with flaming torches. A delicious smell of food was wafting from the Great Hall, but Snape led them away from the warmth and light, down a narrow stone staircase that led into the dungeons. **

"**In!" he said, opening a door halfway down the cold passageway and pointing. They entered Snape's office, shivering. The shadowy walls were lined with shelves of large glass jars, in which floated all manner of revolting things Harry didn't really want to know the name of at the moment. The fireplace was dark and empty. Snape closed the door and turned to look at them. **

"**So," he said softly, "the train isn't good enough for the famous Harry Potter and his faithful sidekick Weasley. Wanted to arrive with a **_**bang**_**, did we, boys?" **

James growled while Lily snarled, muttering about how Harry wasn't James and Severus needed to grow up already, making him flinch.

"**No, sir, it was the barrier at King's Cross, it —" **

"**Silence!" said Snape coldly. "What have you done with the car?" Ron gulped. This wasn't the first time Snape had given Harry the impression of being able to read minds. **

Harry heard Sirius growl and looked at him in confusion, wondering why, but let it out of his mind for now.

**But a moment later, he understood, as Snape unrolled today's issue of the **_**Evening Prophet**_**. "You were seen," he hissed, showing them the headline**_**: FLYING FORD ANGLIA MYSTIFIES MUGGLES. **_**He began to read aloud: "Two Muggles in London, convinced they saw an old car flying over the Post Office tower… at noon in Norfolk, Mrs. Hetty Bayliss, while hanging out her washing… Mr. Angus Fleet, of Peebles, reported to police… Six or seven Muggles in all. I believe your father works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office?" he said, looking up at Ron and smiling still more nastily. "Dear, dear… his own son…" **

"Oh no," Lily groaned, shaking her head.

**Harry felt as though he'd just been walloped in the stomach by one of the mad tree's larger branches. If anyone found out Mr. Weasley had bewitched the car… he hadn't thought of that… **

"**I noticed, in my search of the park, that considerable damage seems to have been done to a very valuable Whomping Willow," Snape went on. **

"**That tree did more damage to us than we —" Ron blurted out. **

"_**Silence**_**!" snapped Snape again. "Most unfortunately, you are not in my House and the decision to expel you does not rest with me. I shall go and fetch the people who **_**do **_**have that happy power. You will wait here." Harry and Ron stared at each other, white-faced. Harry didn't feel hungry any more. He now felt extremely sick. He tried not to look at a large, slimy something suspended in green liquid on a shelf behind Snape's desk. If Snape had gone to fetch Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House, they were hardly any better off. She might be fairer than Snape, but she was still extremely strict. Ten minutes later, Snape returned, and sure enough it was Professor McGonagall who accompanied him. Harry had seen Professor McGonagall angry on several occasions, but either he had forgotten just how thin her mouth could go, or he had never seen her this angry before. She raised her wand the moment she entered; Harry and Ron both flinched, but she merely pointed it at the empty fireplace, where flames suddenly erupted. **

"**Sit," she said, and they both backed into chairs by the fire. **

"**Explain," she said, her glasses glinting ominously. **

**Ron launched into the story, starting with the barrier at the station refusing to let them through. **

"— **so we had no choice, Professor, we couldn't get on the train." **

"**Why didn't you send us a letter by owl? I believe **_**you **_**have an owl?" Professor **

**McGonagall said coldly to Harry. Harry gaped at her. Now she said it that seemed the obvious thing to have done. **

"**I — I didn't think —" **

"**That," said Professor McGonagall, "is obvious." **

Many people snorted, while Minerva tried not to smirk.

**There was a knock on the office door and Snape, now looking happier than ever, opened it. There stood the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore. Harry's whole body went numb. Dumbledore was looking unusually grave. He stared down his very crooked nose at them, and Harry suddenly found himself wishing he and Ron were still being beaten up by the Whomping Willow. There was a long silence. Then Dumbledore said, "Please explain why you did this." **

**It would have been better if he had shouted. Harry hated the disappointment in his voice. For some reason, he was unable to look Dumbledore in the eyes, and spoke instead to his knees. He told Dumbledore everything except that Mr. Weasley owned the bewitched car, making it sound as though he and Ron had happened to find a flying car parked outside the station. He knew Dumbledore would see through this at once, but Dumbledore asked no questions about the car. When Harry had finished, he merely continued to peer at them through his spectacles. **

"**We'll go and get our stuff," said Ron in a hopeless sort of voice. **

"**What are you talking about, Weasley?" barked Professor McGonagall. **

"**Well, you're expelling us, aren't you?" said Ron. Harry looked quickly at Dumbledore. **

"**Not today, Mr. Weasley," said Dumbledore. "But I must impress upon both of you the seriousness of what you have done. I will be writing to both your families tonight. I must also warn you that if you do anything like this again, I will have no choice but to expel you." **

"Like the Dursley's will care," James snorted.

**Snape looked as though Christmas had been canceled. He cleared his throat and said, "Professor Dumbledore, these boys have flouted the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry, caused serious damage to an old and valuable tree — surely acts of this nature —" **

"**It will be for Professor McGonagall to decide on these boys' punishments, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "They are in her House and are therefore her responsibility." He turned to Professor McGonagall. "I must go back to the feast, Minerva, I've got to give out a few notices. Come, Severus, there's a delicious-looking custard tart I want to sample —" **

**Snape shot a look of pure venom at Harry and Ron as he allowed himself to be swept out of his office, leaving them alone with Professor McGonagall, who was still eyeing them like a wrathful eagle. **

"**You'd better get along to the hospital wing, Weasley, you're bleeding." **

"**Not much," said Ron, hastily wiping the cut over his eye with his sleeve. **

"**Professor, I wanted to watch my sister being Sorted —" **

"**The Sorting Ceremony is over," said Professor McGonagall. "Your sister is also in Gryffindor." **

"**Oh, good," said Ron. **

"**And speaking of Gryffindor —" Professor McGonagall said sharply, but Harry cut in: **

"**Professor, when we took the car, term hadn't started, so — so Gryffindor shouldn't really have points taken from it — should it?" he finished, watching her anxiously. Professor McGonagall gave him a piercing look, but he was sure she had almost smiled. Her mouth looked less thin, anyway. **

"That's because I _did_ smile, Potter. What you said was such a – such a James Potter thing to say that I _couldn't _help but smile in remembrance. I was actually extremely proud at you in that moment." Minerva smiled, causing Harry to blush.

"**I will not take any points from Gryffindor," she said, and Harry's heart lightened considerably. "But you will both get a detention." It was better than Harry had expected. As for Dumbledore's writing to the Dursleys, that was nothing. Harry knew perfectly well they'd just be disappointed that the Whomping Willow hadn't squashed him flat. **

**Professor McGonagall raised her wand again and pointed it at Snape's desk. A large plate of sandwiches, two silver goblets, and a jug of iced pumpkin juice appeared with a pop. **

"**You will eat in here and then go straight up to your dormitory," she said. "I must also return to the feast." **

**When the door had closed behind her, Ron let out a long, low whistle. "I thought we'd had it," he said, grabbing a sandwich. **

"**So did I," said Harry, taking one, too. **

"**Can you believe our luck, though?" said Ron thickly through a mouthful of chicken and ham. "Fred and George must've flown that car five or six times and no Muggle ever saw **_**them**_**." He swallowed and took another huge bite. "**_**Why **_**couldn't we get through the barrier?" **

"Five or six times?" Molly glared at the twins, who scrunched back.

**Harry shrugged. "We'll have to watch our step from now on, though," he said, taking a grateful swig of pumpkin juice. "Wish we could've gone up to the feast…" **

"**She didn't want us showing off," said Ron sagely. "Doesn't want people to think it's clever, arriving by flying car." When they had eaten as many sandwiches as they could (the plate kept refilling itself) they rose and left the office, treading the familiar path to Gryffindor Tower. The castle was quiet; it seemed that the feast was over. They walked past muttering portraits and creaking suits of armor, and climbed narrow flights of stone stairs, until at last they reached the passage where the secret entrance to Gryffindor Tower was hidden, behind an oil painting of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress. **

"**Password?" she said as they approached. **

"**Er —" said Harry. They didn't know the new year's password, not having met a Gryffindor prefect yet, but help came almost immediately; they heard hurrying feet behind them and turned to see Hermione dashing toward them.**

"_**There **_**you are! Where have you **_**been**_**? The most **_**ridiculous **_**rumors — someone said you'd been expelled for crashing a flying **_**car**_**!" **

"**Well, we haven't been expelled," Harry assured her. **

"**You're not telling me you **_**did **_**fly here?" said Hermione, sounding almost as severe as Professor McGonagall. **

"**Skip the lecture," said Ron impatiently, "and tell us the new password." **

"**It's 'wattlebird,'" said Hermione impatiently, "but that's not the point —" **

**Her words were cut short, however, as the portrait of the fat lady swung open and there was a sudden storm of clapping. It looked as though the whole of Gryffindor House was still awake, packed into the circular common room, standing on the lopsided tables and squashy armchairs, waiting for them to arrive. Arms reached through the portrait hole to pull Harry and Ron inside, leaving Hermione to scramble in after them. **

"We were very impressed!"

"**Brilliant!" yelled Lee Jordan. "Inspired! What an entrance! Flying a car right into the Whomping Willow, people'll be talking about that one for years —" **

"**Good for you," said a fifth year Harry had never spoken to; someone was patting him on the back as though he'd just won a marathon; Fred and George pushed their way to the front of the crowd and said together, "Why couldn't we've come in the car, eh?"**

The twins snickered, clapping their hands in excitement.

**Ron was scarlet in the face, grinning embarrassedly, but Harry could see one person who didn't look happy at all. Percy was visible over the heads of some excited first years, and he seemed to be trying to get near enough to start telling them off. Harry nudged Ron in the ribs and nodded in Percy's direction. Ron got the point at once. **

"**Got to get upstairs — bit tired," he said, and the two of them started pushing their way toward the door on the other side of the room, which led to a spiral staircase and the dormitories. **

"'**Night," Harry called back to Hermione, who was wearing a scowl just like Percy's. **

**They managed to get to the other side of the common room, still having their backs slapped, and gained the peace of the staircase. They hurried up it, right to the top, and at last reached the door of their old dormitory, which now had a sign on it saying SECOND YEARS. They entered the familiar, circular room, with its five four-posters hung with red velvet and its high, narrow windows. Their trunks had been brought up for them and stood at the ends of their beds. **

**Ron grinned guiltily at Harry. **

"**I know I shouldn't've enjoyed that or anything, but…" **

**The dormitory door flew open and in came the other second year Gryffindor boys, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Neville Longbottom. **

"_**Unbelievable**_**!" beamed Seamus. **

"**Cool," said Dean. **

"**Amazing," said Neville, awestruck. Harry couldn't help it. He grinned, too.**

"Anyone would've!" James said, grinning. Amelia smiled, before holding out the book. "Who would like to read next?"

"I will, Amelia," Arthur stated, grabbing the book. Amelia smiled and Arthur began reading, happily.


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's Note: **I want to thank everyone who has reviewed and/or PM-ed me. It means a lot. I bring to you the next four chapters, or, chapters 6-9 of COS. I hope you enjoy these very much.

Also, I tried hard to add more conversations to everything (especially in chapter 8/9), so let me know how I did. :)

* * *

"**CHAPTER SIX. Gilderoy Lockhart" **Arthur stated.

"A whole chapter to this git?" Lily asked, confusion shown on her face. James snorted.

"Apparently, though that must mean he's pretty important later on." Remus replied, arching his eyebrow.

"Nicely done, Remus." Albus smiled, Harry rolling his eyes at the sight.

**The next day, however, Harry barely grinned once. **

"But why?"

**Things started to go downhill from breakfast in the Great Hall. The four long house tables were laden with tureens of porridge, plates of kippers, mountains of toast, and dishes of eggs and bacon, beneath the enchanted ceiling (today, a dull, cloudy gray). **

"What's so bad about that?" Luna questioned, making everyone jump, having forgotten about her, unfortunately.

**Harry and Ron sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Hermione, who had her copy of **_**Voyages with Vampires **_**propped open against a milk jug. There was a slight stiffness in the way she said "Morning," which told Harry that she was still disapproving of the way they had arrived. **

"Oh, so much like Lily," James laughed, remembering all the times Lily said morning to him the same way during their years at Hogwarts.

Hermione smiled before turning towards Arthur completely.

**Neville Longbottom, on the other hand, greeted them cheerfully. Neville was a round-faced and accident-prone boy with the worst memory of anyone Harry had ever met. **

"Sorry mate," Harry grinned.

"It's alright. Especially since it's so true." Neville laughed.

"**Mail's due any minute — I think Gran's sending a few things I forgot."**

**Harry had only just started his porridge when, sure enough, there was a rushing sound overhead and a hundred or so owls streamed in, circling the hall and dropping letters and packages into the chattering crowd. **

"The first time mail comes is always so amazing—"

"Not always. Scared the shit out of me," A couple of third years stated, with the first years nodding their heads.

**A big, lumpy package bounced off Neville's head and, a second later, something large and gray fell into Hermione's jug, spraying them all with milk and feathers. **

James snorted, shaking his head as Sirius wagged his tail.

"**Errol!" said Ron, pulling the bedraggled owl out by the feet. Errol slumped, Unconscious, onto the table, his legs in the air and a damp red envelope in his beak. **

"Oh, poor Errol," Many females gasped, worried for the owl.

"**Oh, no —" Ron gasped. **

"**It's all right, he's still alive," said Hermione, prodding Errol gently with the tip of her finger. **

"Really Hermione, really?" George snorted while Ginny laughed.

"**It's not that — it's **_**that**_**." Ron was pointing at the red envelope. It looked quite ordinary to Harry, but Ron and Neville were both looking at it as though they expected it to explode. **

"That's because it _will_ mate." Neville laughed.

"**What's the matter?" said Harry. **

"**She's — she's sent me a Howler," said Ron faintly. **

"What's a howler?" Many first year muggleborns asked.

"Oh, it's a horrible thing—"

"A way for your parents to yell—"

"Get in trouble—"

"Get laughed at—" Many people spoke at once, until Ron, getting tired of this, screamed out.

"OY. It'll probably explain it in the book. Let's just read that, yeah?" Many people nodded, wanting to continue reading.

"**You'd better open it, Ron," said Neville in a timid whisper. "It'll be worse if you don't. My gran sent me one once, and I ignored it and" — he gulped —"it was horrible." Harry looked from their petrified faces to the red envelope. **

"**What's a Howler?" he said. **

"See?" Ron said, while many of the others shrugged, clearly seeing.

**But Ron's whole attention was fixed on the letter, which had begun to smoke at the corners. **

"**Open it," Neville urged. "It'll all be over in a few minutes —" Ron stretched out a shaking hand, eased the envelope from Errol's beak, and slit it open. **

"Open to your doom," James said dramatically, everyone around him laughing.

**Neville stuffed his fingers in his ears. A split second later, Harry knew why. He thought for a moment it **_**had **_**exploded; a roar of sound filled the huge hall, shaking dust from the ceiling. **

"I surprised none of the windows broke because of it." Harry said, laying his head down on Sirius' back, wishing he could lie down.

"Magic stops it from doing so, son." James said, while Harry grinned, loving being called son.

"—**STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE —"**

Ron flinched, remembering that day very well.

**Mrs. Weasleys yells, a hundred times louder than usual, made the plates and spoons rattle on the table, and echoed deafeningly off the stone walls. People throughout the hall were swiveling around to see who had received the Howler, and Ron sank so low in his chair that only his crimson forehead could be seen. **

"Receiving howlers are not fun," Remus grimaced, remembering all the times James and Sirius receiving one.

"—**LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED —" Harry had been wondering when his name was going to crop up. He tried very hard to look as though he couldn't hear the voice that was making his eardrums throb. **

"Don't blame ya, mate." Fred grimaced.

"—**ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED — YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME." A ringing silence fell. **

Lily grimaced throughout the howler, creating her own version of one inside her head, and noticing the obvious differences between hers and Molly's.

**The red envelope, which had dropped from Ron's hand, burst into flames and curled into ashes. Harry and Ron sat stunned, as though a tidal wave had just passed over them. A few people laughed and, gradually, a babble of talk broke out again. Hermione closed **_**Voyages with Vampires **_**and looked down at the top of Ron's head. **

"**Well, I don't know what you expected, Ron, but you —" **

"Now is really—"

"Not the time—"

"To tell him he deserved it," The twins stated, while everyone laughed at Hermione's blush.

"**Don't tell me I deserved it," snapped Ron. Harry pushed his porridge away. His insides were burning with guilt. Mr. Weasley was facing an inquiry at work. After all Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had done for him over the summer…**

"Oh Harry, don't feel guilty," Lily sighed while Molly, who was about to say the same thing, look slightly affronted, but shook it off.

"Yeah mate, it wasn't your idea." Ron grinned, slapping Harry on the back.

**But he had no time to dwell on this; Professor McGonagall was moving along the Gryffindor table, handing out course schedules. Harry took his and saw that they had double Herbology with the Hufflepuffs first. **

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the castle together, crossed the vegetable patch, and made for the greenhouses, where the magical plants were kept. At least the Howler had done one good thing: Hermione seemed to think they had now been punished enough and was being perfectly friendly again. **

"Why doesn't that—"

"Surprise you?" Justin Finch-Fletchley interrupted the twins, who nodded lightly.

**As they neared the greenhouses they saw the rest of the class standing outside, waiting for Professor Sprout. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had only just joined them when she came striding into view across the lawn, accompanied by Gilderoy Lockhart.**

"Oh, why is he there?" James groaned.

**Professor Sprout's arms were full of bandages, and with another twinge of guilt, Harry spotted the Whomping Willow in the distance, several of its branches now in slings. **

"Yikes. Not even I ever did that much damage to the tree, Harry." Remus smiled, laugh lines on his face.

**Professor Sprout was a squat little witch who wore a patched hat over her flyaway hair; there was usually a large amount of earth on her clothes and her fingernails would have made Aunt Petunia faint. **

Pomona blushed at the description of her, before putting her head down and giggling at it. Lily, who liked Pomona well enough, smiled.

**Gilderoy Lockhart, however, was immaculate in sweeping robes of turquoise, his golden hair shining under a perfectly positioned turquoise hat with gold trimming. **

"**Oh, hello there!" he called, beaming around at the assembled students. "Just been showing Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow! But I don't want you running away with the idea that I'm better at Herbology than she is! I just happen to have met several of these exotic plants on my travels…" **

"Generally, you telling Sprout the _right_ way to doctor a Whomping Willow _is_ you thinking you're better at Herbology than she is." Tonks seethed, unhappy with the new professor, wishing he was available for her to hex a little.

"Thank you, Miss. Tonks." Pomona beamed, glad to see one of her favorite students angry on her behalf.

"**Greenhouse three today, chaps!" said Professor Sprout, who was looking distinctly disgruntled, not at all her usual cheerful self. There was a murmur of interest. They had only ever worked in greenhouse one before — greenhouse three housed far more interesting and dangerous plants. **

"Wait until you get to greenhouse six!" The sixth years shouted, while the seventh years nodded their heads.

**Professor Sprout took a large key from her belt and unlocked the door. Harry caught a whiff of damp earth and fertilizer mingling with the heavy perfume of some giant, umbrella-sized flowers dangling from the ceiling. He was about to follow Ron and Hermione inside when Lockhart's hand shot out. **

"Oh, what does this egotistical maniac want now?" James groaned, putting his head in his hands.

"**Harry! I've been wanting a word — you don't mind if he's a couple of minutes late, do you, Professor Sprout?" Judging by Professor Sprout's scowl, she did mind—**

"I most certainly did mind. Potter needed to be there, not be near that fool," Pomona stated, crossing her arms while everyone else laughed.

-** but Lockhart said, "That's the ticket," and closed the greenhouse door in her face. **

"How rude." Narcissa said, while her husband looked at her in confusion.

"**Harry," said Lockhart, his large white teeth gleaming in the sunlight as he shook his head. "Harry, Harry, Harry." Completely nonplussed, Harry said nothing. **

"Why are you shaking your head at my son? He should be shaking his head at _you_." James scowled while Lily laughed.

"**When I heard — well, of course, it was all my fault. Could have kicked myself." Harry had no idea what he was talking about. **

"Yeah, neither do we, Potter." Snape drawled, while Lily glared, still angry with him.

**He was about to say so when Lockhart went on, "Don't know when I've been more shocked. Flying a car to Hogwarts! Well, of course, I knew at once why you'd done it. Stood out a mile. Harry, Harry, **_**Harry**_**." It was remarkable how he could show every one of those brilliant teeth even when he wasn't talking. **

"More like bloody creepy," Harry mumbled, shaking a little.

"Incredibly so." Remus replied, wrinkling is nose.

"**Gave you a taste for publicity, didn't I?" said Lockhart. "Gave you the **_**bug**_**. You got onto the front page of the paper with me and you couldn't wait to do it again." **

"He was incredibly wrong, wasn't he?" Lily laughed, shaking her head.

"Oh, incredibly wrong. I hate publicity." Harry grumbled, while many people looked at him in shock, always being told that Harry loved the fame.

"**Oh, no, Professor, see —" **

"**Harry, Harry, Harry," said Lockhart, reaching out and grasping his shoulder. "I **_**understand**_**. Natural to want a bit more once you've had that first taste —"**

"But he doesn't want a bit more," James replied, mockingly.

"He wants none of it." Lily finished.

-"**and I blame myself for giving you that, because it was bound to go to your head —"**

"It hasn't gone to his head, though." Minerva interrupted, her eyes slanted in annoyance.

-"**but see here, young man, you can't start **_**flying cars **_**to try and get yourself noticed. Just calm down, all right? Plenty of time for all that when you're older. Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking! 'It's all right for him, he's an internationally famous wizard already!' But when I was twelve, I was just as much of a nobody as you are now."**

"Did he just say—"

"That Harry Potter—"

"_The _Harry Potter—" Harry grimaced here

"Is a nobody?" The twins asked, shock apparent on their faces, everyone laughing at them because of it.

"**In fact, I'd say I was even more of a nobody! I mean, a few people have heard of you, haven't they? All that business with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!" **

"A few people?" Remus laughed, shaking his head.

Sirius was barking, his way of laughing at the book, which made everyone wonder who the dog truly was.

**He glanced at the lightning scar on Harry's forehead. "I know, I know — it's not quite as good as winning **_**Witch Weekly**_**'s Most Charming Smile Award five times in a row, as I have — but it's a **_**start**_**, Harry, it's a **_**start**_**." **

"Really, Lockhart, really?" Lily scowled.

"Not as good as a Most blah-do-blah-do-blah?" James interrupted, also scowling.

"Pompous, arrogant, egotistical—" Lily hissed, angrily.

**He gave Harry a hearty wink and strode off. Harry stood stunned for a few seconds, then, remembering he was supposed to be in the greenhouse, he opened the door and slid inside. **

Lily growled one last time at Lockhart, before calming herself down and letting Arthur continue reading.

**Professor Sprout was standing behind a trestle bench in the center of the greenhouse. About twenty pairs of different-colored ear muffs were lying on the bench.**

"Mandrakes?" Lily questioned, frowning lightly, wondering if there was some foreshadowing going on.

"Don't they reverse the effects of being petrified?" She asked James, who nodded.

**When Harry had taken his place between Ron and Hermione, she said, "We'll be repotting Mandrakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?" To nobody's surprise, Hermione's hand was first into the air. **

"**Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative," said Hermione, sounding as usual as though she had swallowed the textbook. "It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state." **

"So not exactly being petrified." Lily shrugged.

"**Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor," said Professor Sprout. "The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, dangerous. Who can tell me why?" **

**Hermione's hand narrowly missed Harry's glasses as it shot up again. **

James snorted, while the twins grinned.

"Why were you so close to her in the first place?" They questioned while Harry blushed.

"**The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it," she said promptly.**

"Has anyone ever died at Hogwarts due to a Mandrake cry?" Some second year Hufflepuff asked, having just worked with them

"No, not at Hogwarts," Pomona answered, before continuing, "At other schools, mostly in France, yes, there have been a few deaths, but mostly because the students weren't paying attention." The Hufflepuff who asked the question nodded, appeased with the answer.

"**Precisely. Take another ten points," said Professor Sprout. "Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young." **

"Oh good, their cries won't be nearly as fatal." Lily sighed.

**She pointed to a row of deep trays as she spoke, and everyone shuffled forward for a better look. A hundred or so tufty little plants, purplish green in color, were growing there in rows. They looked quite unremarkable to Harry, who didn't have the slightest idea what Hermione meant by the "cry" of the Mandrake.**

"Oh dear." James laughed.

"**Everyone take a pair of earmuffs," said Professor Sprout. There was a scramble as everyone tried to seize a pair that wasn't pink and fluffy. **

"But pink and fluffy means you're a real man. That you're confident in your sexuality!" James shouted, stomping on the table for fun, while everyone laughed and Lily giggled, pulling him down as Minerva hid her face.

"**When I tell you to put them on, make sure your ears are **_**completely **_**covered," said Professor Sprout. "When it is safe to remove them, I will give you the thumbs-up. Right — earmuffs **_**on**_**."**

"First years, you might hear this now, but you better listen next year too!" Pomona interrupted, while many of the first years nodded.

**Harry snapped the earmuffs over his ears. They shut out sound completely. Professor Sprout put the pink, fluffy pair over her own ears, rolled up the sleeves of her robes, grasped one of the tufty plants firmly, and pulled hard. Harry let out a gasp of surprise that no one could hear. Instead of roots, a small, muddy, and extremely ugly baby popped out of the earth. **

"Those things look absolutely hideous." James shuddered, remembering their faces.

**The leaves were growing right out of his head. He had pale green, mottled skin, and was clearly bawling at the top of his lungs. Professor Sprout took a large plant pot from under the table and plunged the Mandrake into it, burying him in dark, damp compost until only the tufted leaves were visible. Professor Sprout dusted off her hands, gave them all the thumbs-up, and removed her own earmuffs. **

"Quick, easy and painless." Malfoy grinned while everyone laughed at him.

"Unless your earmuffs are off." Ginny snorted.

"**As our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won't kill yet," she said calmly as though she'd just done nothing more exciting than water a begonia. "However, they **_**will **_**knock you out for several hours, and as I'm sure none of you want to miss your first day back, make sure your earmuffs are securely in place while you work. I will attract your attention when it is time to pack up."**

"Yes, unlike our professor, who just left us in the greenhouse," James snorted, shaking his head as Lily flinched, remembering how she had been knocked out that day.

"**Four to a tray — there is a large supply of pots here — compost in the sacks over there — and be careful of the Venemous Tentacula, it's teething." She gave a sharp slap to a spiky, dark red plant as she spoke, making it draw in the long feelers that had been inching sneakily over her shoulder. **

"That's not creepy at all," Remus muttered.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione were joined at their tray by a curly-haired Hufflepuff boy Harry knew by sight but had never spoken to. **

Justin, knowing it was him, blushed, hoping the book didn't paint him in a bad way.

"**Justin Finch-Fletchley," he said brightly, shaking Harry by the hand. "Know who you are, of course, the famous Harry Potter… And you're Hermione Granger — always top in everything" (Hermione beamed as she had her hand shaken too) "— and Ron Weasley. Wasn't that your flying car?" Ron didn't smile. The Howler was obviously still on his mind. **

Justin grimaced, realizing while he didn't come off too bad, he did come off a bit eager. Many of the Hufflepuff's laughed, causing Justin to blush instead of grimace.

"**That Lockhart's something, isn't he?" said Justin happily as they began filling their plant pots with dragon dung compost. "Awfully brave chap. Have you read his books? I'd have died of fear if Id been cornered in a telephone booth by a werewolf, but he stayed cool and — zap — just **_**fantastic**_**."**

James snorted, mumbling about how well Lockhart would've done in front of Voldemort.

"**My name was down for Eton, you know. I can't tell you how glad I am I came here instead. Of course, Mother was slightly disappointed, but since I made her read Lockhart's books I think she's begun to see how useful it'll be to have a fully trained wizard in the family…" After that they didn't have much chance to talk.**

"Thank goodness," Harry muttered, while Ron and Hermione laughed, the twins grinned and Ginny tilted her head. Arthur could only smirk but Molly, who had overheard, wasn't pleased.

"Harry James Potter, you be nice!" She scolded.

"Molly, he's allowed his thoughts," Lily said, rolling her eyes to her husband who grinned, "People can't help who they don't like," She finished, while Molly shifted in her seat.

**Their earmuffs were back on and they needed to concentrate on the Mandrakes. **

"Despite popular belief, I like learning," Harry said quietly, while Hermione beamed.

**Professor Sprout had made it look extremely easy, but it wasn't. The Mandrakes didn't like coming out of the earth, but didn't seem to want to go back into it either. **

"Those are mandrakes for you." Lily sighed.

**They squirmed, kicked, flailed their sharp little fists, and gnashed their teeth; Harry spent ten whole minutes trying to squash a particularly fat one into a pot. By the end of the class, Harry, like everyone else, was sweaty, aching, and covered in earth. Everyone traipsed back to the castle for a quick wash and then the Gryffindors hurried off to Transfiguration. **

**Professor McGonagall's classes were always hard work, but today was especially difficult. Everything Harry had learned last year seemed to have leaked out of his head during the summer. **

"Which I don't get, because when I was in muggle school, I remembered things really well. Here, though, I don't. It's weird." He muttered, while Lily looked over to James, who nodded, and then wrote something down on his list.

Sirius, having seen this, looked at his godson curiously, before writing on his own list – well, thinking about what he wanted to write, and then it appearing on the page.

**He was supposed to be turning a beetle into a button, but all he managed to do was give his beetle a lot of exercise as it scuttled over the desktop avoiding his wand. Ron was having far worse problems. He had patched up his wand with some borrowed Spellotape, but it seemed to be damaged beyond repair. **

"And spellotape definitely won't help," Molly muttered, annoyance leaking through her voice, causing Ron to flinch back.

**It kept crackling and sparking at odd moments, and every time Ron tried to transfigure his beetle it engulfed him in thick gray smoke that smelled of rotten eggs. **

"The smell was horrible," Minerva grimaced, her nose wrinkling in disgust at the memory.

**Unable to see what he was doing, Ron accidentally squashed his beetle with his elbow and had to ask for a new one. Professor McGonagall wasn't pleased. Harry was relieved to hear the lunch bell. His brain felt like a wrung sponge. **

Lily turned red at this sentence, and James began scribbling furiously on his list, while Harry looked on confused.

**Everyone filed out of the classroom except him and Ron, who was whacking his wand furiously on the desk. **

"**Stupid — useless — thing —" **

"**Write home for another one," Harry suggested as the wand let off a volley of bangs like a firecracker. **

"**Oh, yeah, and get another Howler back," said Ron, stuffing the now hissing wand into his bag. **

"'_**It's your own fault your wand got snapped — **_**'" **

"Well, it was!" Molly shouted, standing up in anger. Arthur, who was sitting next to her, tugged her hand to make her sit back down.

**They went down to lunch, where Ron's mood was not improved by Hermione's showing them the handful of perfect coat buttons she had produced in Transfiguration. **

"Sorry, Ron." She whispered, feeling bad at her showing off, offhandedly.

"**What've we got this afternoon?" said Harry, hastily changing the subject. **

"**Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Hermione at once. **

"This oughta be fun." James snorted, smirking.

"_**Why**_**," demanded Ron, seizing her schedule, "have you outlined all Lockhart's lessons in little hearts?" Hermione snatched the schedule back, blushing furiously. **

Hermione blushed even more furiously at this especially when Harry laughed at her face, before he squeezed her hand.

**They finished lunch and went outside into the overcast courtyard. Hermione sat down on a stone step and buried her nose in **_**Voyages with Vampires **_**again. Harry and Ron stood talking about Quidditch for several minutes before Harry became aware that he was being closely watched. Looking up, he saw the very small, mousy-haired boy he'd seen trying on the Sorting Hat last night staring at Harry as though transfixed. He was clutching what looked like an ordinary Muggle camera, and the moment Harry looked at him, he went bright red. **

"Either Harry has a fan, or the guy isn't as straight as people think, and is crushing on Harry." James laughed.

"HEY!" Colin shouted, blushing, which made James laugh even more.

"Sorry, it's just – you know – Lily flower, help?" James asked, still laughing.

"Nope." Lily smirked.

"**All right, Harry? I'm — I'm Colin Creevey," he said breathlessly, taking a tentative step forward. "I'm in Gryffindor, too. D'you think — would it be all right if — can I have a picture?" he said, raising the camera hopefully. **

"**A picture?" Harry repeated blankly. **

"To stare at longingly into the night." James snorted as Colin blushed some more.

"**So I can prove I've met you," said Colin Creevey eagerly, edging further forward. "I know all about you. Everyone's told me. About how you survived when You-Know-Who tried to kill you and how he disappeared and everything and how you've still got a lightning scar on your forehead" (his eyes raked Harry's hairline) "and a boy in my dormitory said if I develop the film in the right potion, the pictures'll **_**move**_**." **

"Did you say all that that quickly?" James laughed.

**Colin drew a great shuddering breath of excitement and said, "It's **_**amazing **_**here, isn't it? I never knew all the odd stuff I could do was magic till I got the letter from Hogwarts. My dad's a milkman, he couldn't believe it either. So I'm taking loads of pictures to send home to him. And it'd be really good if I had one of you" — he looked imploringly at Harry — "maybe your friend could take it and I could stand next to you? And then, could you sign it?" **

"What's a milkman?"

"Don't sign the photo, Harry."

"Like Harry wants to sign the photo!"

"Or take one, even." People shouted through the room while Harry blushed and put his head in Sirius' fur, who barked in return, causing everyone to quiet down.

"_**Signed photos? **_**You're giving out **_**signed photos**_**, Potter?" Loud and scathing, Draco Malfoy's voice echoed around the courtyard.**

Many people glared at Malfoy at this point.

**He had stopped right behind Colin, flanked, as he always was at Hogwarts, by his large and thuggish cronies, Crabbe and Goyle. **

"**Everyone line up!" Malfoy roared to the crowd. "Harry Potter's giving out signed photos!" **

"**No, I'm not," said Harry angrily, his fists clenching. "Shut up, Malfoy." **

"**You're just jealous," piped up Colin, whose entire body was about as thick as Crabbe's neck. **

"Not helping, Colin." His brother stated, shaking his head.

"_**Jealous**_**?" said Malfoy, who didn't need to shout anymore: half the courtyard was listening in. **

"Nosy gits, the lot of you." Moody shouted, frightening the Ravenclaw table, where he stood.

"**Of what? I don't want a foul scar right across my head, thanks. I don't think getting your head cut open makes you that special, myself." Crabbe and Goyle were sniggering stupidly. **

"**Eat slugs, Malfoy," said Ron angrily. Crabbe stopped laughing and started rubbing his knuckles in a menacing way. **

Ron snorted, remembering how he truly ate those words right back up.

"**Be careful, Weasley," sneered Malfoy. "You don't want to start any trouble or your Mommy'll have to come and take you away from school." He put on a shrill, piercing voice. **

"'_**If you put another toe out of line'**_**—" A knot of Slytherin fifth-years nearby laughed loudly at this. **

All the Weasley's glared at Malfoy.

"**Weasley would like a signed photo, Potter," smirked Malfoy. "It'd be worth more than his family's whole house —" Ron whipped out his Spellotaped wand, but Hermione shut **_**Voyages with Vampires **_**with a snap and whispered, "Look out!" **

The Weasley's glares grew more heated as James applauded Hermione for noticing in time that someone was coming.

"**What's all this, what's all this?" Gilderoy Lockhart was striding toward them, his turquoise robes swirling behind him.**

"Oh, anyone but this jackal." James groaned, while Snape secretly agreed.

"**Who's giving out signed photos?" Harry started to speak but he was cut short as Lockhart flung an arm around his shoulders and thundered jovially, "Shouldn't have asked! We meet again, Harry!" **

"Like he wanted to give out signed photos, or wanted your arm around him!" Lily snarled and Hermione giggled.

**Pinned to Lockhart's side and burning with humiliation, Harry saw Malfoy slide smirking back into the crowd. **

"Ouch mate, humiliation?" Ron grimaced while Harry nodded his head.

"**Come on then, Mr. Creevey," said Lockhart, beaming at Colin. "A double portrait, can't do better than that, and we'll **_**both **_**sign it for you." Colin fumbled for his camera and took the picture as the bell rang behind them, signaling the start of afternoon classes. **

"I didn't actually want him in the picture," Colin muttered, put out by all the jokes.

"Mate, you know I was kidding, right?" James said, having a feel for the kids emotions. Colin nodded his head slightly, not really knowing for sure.

"**Off you go, move along there," Lockhart called to the crowd, and he set off back to the castle with Harry, who was wishing he knew a good Vanishing Spell, still clasped to his side. **

"We'd all feel that way!" Lily snorted.

"**A word to the wise, Harry," said Lockhart paternally as they entered the building through a side door. "I covered up for you back there with young Creevey — if he was photographing me, too, your schoolmates won't think you're setting yourself up so much…" **

**Deaf to Harry's stammers, Lockhart swept him down a corridor lined with staring students and up a staircase. **

"He really is an egotistical ba—" James covered Lily's mouth before she could finish the sentence, making Harry laugh into Sirius' fur.

"**Let me just say that handing out signed pictures at this stage of your career isn't sensible — looks a tad bigheaded, Harry, to be frank. There may well come a time when, like me, you'll need to keep a stack handy wherever you go, but" — he gave a little chortle — "I don't think you're quite there yet." **

James himself chortled, annoyed with the man and at the same time, finding him hilariously humorous. For the guy to actually think that Harry – a _twelve year _old – wanted to hand out signed photos? Absolutely preposterous.

**They had reached Lockhart's classroom and he let Harry go at last. Harry yanked his robes straight and headed for a seat at the very back of the class, where he busied himself with piling all seven of Lockhart's books in front of him, so that he could avoid looking at the real thing. **

"Didn't really look, since the guy loves looking at himself." Harry laughed.

**The rest of the class came clattering in, and Ron and Hermione sat down on either side of Harry. **

"**You could've fried an egg on your face" said Ron. "You'd better hope Creevey doesn't meet Ginny, or they'll be starting a Harry Potter fan club." **

Ginny and Colin both blushed, and James laughed while Harry growled.

"There isn't a fan club, is there?" He asked, dead serious. When Ginny and Colin both stayed silent, Harry growled some more, and turned away from them.

"**Shut up," snapped Harry. The last thing he needed was for Lockhart to hear the phrase "Harry Potter fan club" **

**When the whole class was seated, Lockhart cleared his throat loudly and silence fell. He reached forward, picked up Neville Longbottom's copy of **_**Travels with Trolls**_**, and held it up to show his own, winking portrait on the front. **

"Eugh," Many people interrupted.

"**Me," he said, pointing at it and winking as well. "Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of **_**Witch Weekly**_**'s Most Charming Smile Award but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by **_**smiling **_**at her!" He waited for them to laugh; a few people smiled weakly. **

"At least they realized he's not funny. Too bad the females don't realize anything else about him," James grumbled while Lily laughed at her husband.

"**I see you've all bought a complete set of my books — well done. I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about — just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in —" **

"What are the odds that the questions will be all about him?" James snorted.

**When he had handed out the test papers he returned to the front of the class and said, "You have thirty minutes — start —**_**now**_**!" **

**Harry looked down at his paper and read: **

_**1. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?**_

_"_PINK!" Was heard.

_**2. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?**_

"TO GET A BRAIN!"

_**3. What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?**_

"WRITING THIS QUIZ!"

**On and on it went, over three sides of paper, right down to: **

"Three sides of paper?" Lily gasped.

_**54. When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday, and what would his ideal gift be? **_

"Who gives a bloody merlin?" James muttered, rolling his eyes.

**Half an hour later, Lockhart collected the papers and rifled through them in front of the class. **

"**Tut, tut — hardly any of you remembered that my favorite color is lilac. I say so in **_**Year with the Yeti**_**. And a few of you need to read **_**Wanderings with Werewolves **_**more carefully — I clearly state in chapter twelve that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic peoples — though I wouldn't say no to a large bottle of Ogdeds Old Firewhisky!"**

"Ugh, who is this guy?" A first year asked.

**He gave them another roguish wink. Ron was now staring at Lockhart with an expression of disbelief on his face; Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who were sitting in front, were shaking with silent laughter. Hermione, on the other hand, was listening to Lockhart with rapt attention and gave a start when he mentioned her name. **

"Oh Hermione, not you too," James groaned, "And here I thought you'd be perfect for –"

"James!" Lily laughed, not wanting her husband to embarrass his son and best friends. He stopped, before smirking at the look of horror on Harry's face.

"… **but Miss Hermione Granger knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care potions — good girl! In fact" — he flipped her paper over — "full marks! Where is Miss Hermione Granger?" **

"Hair care potions?" A third year laughed.

**Hermione raised a trembling hand. **

"**Excellent!" beamed Lockhart. "Quite excellent! Take ten points for Gryffindor! And so — to business —" **

**He bent down behind his desk and lifted a large, covered cage onto it. **

"**Now — be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm." **

"But Boggarts aren't until third year and I know you learned those _in _third year." Remus muttered.

**In spite of himself, Harry leaned around his pile of books for a better look at the cage. **

"And they're not kept in cages."

**Lockhart placed a hand on the cover. Dean and Seamus had stopped laughing now. Neville was cowering in his front row seat. **

Many people were sitting on the edge of their own seats.

"**I must ask you not to scream," said Lockhart in a low voice. "It might provoke them." As the whole class held its breath, Lockhart whipped off the cover. "Yes," he said dramatically. **_**"Freshly caught Cornish pixies." **_

Everyone started laughing at this, the adults included, knowing that Cornish pixies were truly nothing dangerous. James was nearly on the floor laughing so hard.

"Pixies? Really?" Lily gasped, clutching her sides.

**Seamus Finnigan couldn't control himself. He let out a snort of laughter that even Lockhart couldn't mistake for a scream of terror. **

"**Yes?" He smiled at Seamus. **

"**Well, they're not — they're not very —**_**dangerous**_**, are they?" Seamus choked. **

"**Don't be so sure!" said Lockhart, waggling a finger annoyingly at Seamus. "Devilish tricky little blighters they can be!" **

"But they're not dangerous!" James laughed, his head on the table in front of him.

**The pixies were electric blue and about eight inches high, with pointed faces and voices so shrill it was like listening to a lot of budgies arguing.**

"What are budgies?" A muggleborn asked, with many others looking on confused.

**The moment the cover had been removed, they had started jabbering and rocketing around, rattling the bars and making bizarre faces at the people nearest them. **

"**Right, then," Lockhart said loudly. "Let's see what you make of them!" And he opened the cage. **

"You're not going to tell them _how _to get rid of them?" Remus asked, shocked and appalled.

"It was horrible," Hermione stated, remembering the day quite well. It helped, of course, that they were reading about the day.

**It was pandemonium. The pixies shot in every direction like rockets. Two of them seized Neville by the ears and lifted him into the air.**

"God that hurt like hell," Neville grimaced.

**Several shot straight through the window, showering the back row with broken glass. The rest proceeded to wreck the classroom more effectively than a rampaging rhino. **

"Are they serious?" Lily chortled, causing Sirius to bark and wag his tail while Harry laughed.

"Impossible." Harry replied, grinning.

**They grabbed ink bottles and sprayed the class with them, shredded books and papers, tore pictures from the walls, up-ended the waste basket, grabbed bags and books and threw them out of the smashed window; within minutes, half the class was sheltering under desks and Neville was swinging from the iron chandelier in the ceiling. **

"Definitely didn't help with my fear of heights." Neville muttered, while many others laughed.

"Absolutely chaotic, was it?" Umbridge sneered, wanting to get to the good parts that could get Potter into trouble.

"**Come on now — round them up, round them up, they're only pixies," Lockhart shouted. **

"You haven't exactly told them how to." Cho groaned, remembering her own first lesson with the Professor.

**He rolled up his sleeves, brandished his wand, and bellowed, "**_**Peskipiksi Pesternomi!**_**" **

**It had absolutely no effect; **

"That's because it's completely incorrect." Lily snorted.

- **one of the pixies seized his wand and threw it out of the window, too.**

"They obviously know he doesn't know his ass from his elbow." Harry laughed, smirking.

"Harry James Potter!" Molly scolded. Lily, knowing she was going to grow tired of Molly scolding her son rather quickly, rolled her eyes.

"thought that was funny, dear." Lily laughed.

**Lockhart gulped and dived under his own desk, narrowly avoiding being squashed by Neville, who fell a second later as the chandelier gave way. **

"Chicken shit," Someone snorted.

**The bell rang and there was a mad rush toward the exit. In the relative calm that followed, Lockhart straightened up, caught sight of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were almost at the door, and said, "Well, I'll ask you three to just nip the rest of them back into their cage." He swept past them and shut the door quickly behind him. **

"Well, how unprofessional of him!" Arthur interrupted himself, annoyed.

"**Can you **_**believe **_**him?" roared Ron as one of the remaining pixies bit him painfully on the ear. **

"**He just wants to give us some hands-on experience," said Hermione, immobilizing two pixies at once with a clever Freezing Charm and stuffing them back into their cage. **

"Are you kidding, Hermione?" George stated, opening and closing his mouth.

"_**Hands on**_**? "said Harry, who was trying to grab a pixie dancing out of reach with its tongue out. "Hermione, he didn't have a clue what he was doing —" **

"See, at least Potter knew." Someone from the Slytherin table said.

"**Rubbish," said Hermione. "You've read his books — look at all those amazing things he's done —" **

"He says he's done," James grumbled, rolling his eyes, while Arthur laughed.

"What, Arthur?"

"**He **_**says **_**he's done," Ron muttered.**

Arthur finished reading while James grinned. After quickly scanning the next page, he let the book float away before asking who wanted to read next.

"I'll read next, Arthur," Cuthbert replied, letting the book float towards him before grabbing it.

"How is that possible?" Many people mumbled, knowing that Binns was a ghost. Many others shrugged, before turning towards the History of Magic professor.


	27. Chapter 27

"**CHAPTER SEVEN, Mudbloods and Murmurs" **Binns started, while everyone remained silent, knowing that this would not be a good chapter. Lily, who hated the word Mudblood with a passion, let herself cuddle into James, allowing him to put his arm around her in comfort. James, knowing the reason Lily hated the word, briefly glared at Snape before pulling his wife closer to him.

Hermione knew what this chapter was about immediately and slowly began crying. Harry, having been watching Hermione for her reaction, pulled her in close to him and put his own arm around her, mirroring his parent's position.

Sirius, not liking the reaction the title of the chapter alone caused, put his head on Harry's thigh and whimpered lightly, wishing he could offer more support.

**Harry spent a lot of time over the next few days dodging out of sight whenever he saw Gilderoy Lockhart coming down a corridor.**

"Good. Guy's impossible." Lily sniffled, not in the mood for joking.

**Harder to avoid was Colin Creevey, who seemed to have memorized Harry's schedule.**

"Uhm, I kind of did, Colin blushed. Many people stared at him and his face just became redder than the Weasley's hair.

"You sure you're not gay? Or at least bisexual?" Dean mumbled, looking at the younger student briefly before turning towards Seamus, and smiling lightly.

**Nothing seemed to give Colin a bigger thrill than to say, "All right, Harry?" six or seven times a day and hear, "Hello, Colin," back, however exasperated Harry sounded when he said it. **

Ron chortled, but not focusing on anything other than the chapter.

**Hedwig was still angry with Harry about the disastrous car journey and Ron's wand was still malfunctioning, surpassing itself on Friday morning by shooting out of Ron's hand in Charms and hitting tiny old Professor Flitwick squarely between the eyes, creating a large, throbbing green boil where it had struck.**

"Not something I ever want to remove again," Flitwick mumbled.

"Sorry, Professor," Ron stated, blushing in embarrassment.

"Perfectly fine, Mr. Weasley."

**So with one thing and another, Harry was quite glad to reach the weekend. He, Ron, and Hermione were planning to visit Hagrid on Saturday morning. Harry, however, was shaken awake several hours earlier than he would have liked by Oliver Wood, Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. **

"QUIDDITCH!" James shouted, perking up, nearly knocking Lily down from him, causing her to scowl and him to grin sheepishly.

"**Whassamatter?" said Harry groggily. **

"**Quidditch practice!" said Wood. "Come on!" **

**Harry squinted at the window. There was a thin mist hanging across the pink-and-gold sky. Now that he was awake, he couldn't understand how he could have slept through the racket the birds were making. **

"**Oliver," Harry croaked. "It's the crack of dawn." **

"QUIDDITCH!" James shouted once more, causing everyone to burst out laughing. Blushing, James looked down and grinned, before his leg began shaking.

"**Exactly," said Wood. He was a tall and burly sixth year and, at the moment, his eyes were gleaming with a crazed enthusiasm. "It's part of our new training program. Come on, grab your broom, and let's go," said Wood heartily. "None of the other teams have started training yet; we're going to be first off the mark this year —" **

"Always a good plan for Quidditch!" Many of the captains stated, grinning.

**Yawning and shivering slightly, Harry climbed out of bed and tried to find his Quidditch robes. **

"**Good man," said Wood. "Meet you on the field in fifteen minutes." **

**When he'd found his scarlet team robes and pulled on his cloak for warmth, Harry scribbled a note to Ron explaining where he'd gone and went down the spiral staircase to the common room, his Nimbus Two Thousand on his shoulder. He had just reached the portrait hole when there was a clatter behind him and Colin Creevey came dashing down the spiral staircase, his camera swinging madly around his neck and something clutched in his hand. **

"Oh, what does this kid want now?" James groaned, shaking his head.

"James, use some tact." Lily glared, trying not to laugh at her blushing husband.

"Sorry, kid." He mumbled to Colin, who was blushing himself.

"**I heard someone saying your name on the stairs, Harry! Look what I've got here! I've had it developed, I wanted to show you —" **

"Alright, so, he's a fan. How fun." Snape muttered, rolling his eyes.

**Harry looked bemusedly at the photograph Colin was brandishing under his nose. **

"Anyone would be, mate." Ron mumbled.

**A moving, black-and-white Lockhart was tugging hard on an arm Harry recognized as his own. He was pleased to see that his photographic self was putting up a good fight and refusing to be dragged into view. **

"Amen!" Harry laughed.

**As Harry watched, Lockhart gave up and slumped, Panting, against the white edge of the picture. **

"**Will you sign it?" said Colin eagerly. **

"I will never sign anything." Harry muttered, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"Totally unlike your father—" Remus began, only to be interrupted by James.

"I would've loved to sign things."

"**No," said Harry flatly, glancing around to check that the room was really deserted. "Sorry, Colin, I'm in a hurry — Quidditch practice —" He climbed through the portrait hole. **

"**Oh, wow! Wait for me! I've never watched a Quidditch game before!" Colin scrambled through the hole after him. **

"**It'll be really boring," Harry said quickly, but Colin ignored him, his face shining with excitement. **

"HARRY JAMES POTTER HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY SAY THAT QUIDDITCH IS _REALLY_ BORING? QUIDDITCH IS ANY—" James began, only to be silenced by a _silencio_ from Remus, who was grinning as Harry laughed into Sirius' fur, who was wagging his tail.

"**You were the youngest House player in a hundred years, weren't you, Harry? Weren't you?" said Colin, trotting alongside him.**

James puffed out his chest in pride, while Lily laughed and Remus unsilenced him.

"**You must be brilliant. I've never flown. Is it easy? Is that your own broom? Is that the best one there is?" **

"Oy, one question at a time, mate." Someone laughed.

**Harry didn't know how to get rid of him. **

"That's very rude of you, Harry." Molly frowned.

**It was like having an extremely talkative shadow. **

"It's true, too." Dennis mumbled, grinning at his brother.

"**I don't really understand Quidditch," said Colin breathlessly. "Is it true there are four balls? And two of them fly around trying to knock people off their brooms?" **

"**Yes," said Harry heavily, resigned to explaining the complicated rules of Quidditch. "They're called Bludgers. There are two Beaters on each team who carry clubs to beat the Bludgers away from their side. Fred and George Weasley are the Gryffindor Beaters." **

The twins cheered at this, while many Gryffindors laughed.

"**And what are the other balls for?" Colin asked, tripping down a couple of steps because he was gazing open-mouthed at Harry. **

"**Well, the Quaffle — that's the biggish red one — is the one that scores goals. Three Chasers on each team throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through the goal posts at the end of the pitch — they're three long poles with hoops on the end." **

"**And the fourth ball —" **

"— **is the Golden Snitch," said Harry, "and it's very small, very fast, and difficult to catch. But that's what the Seeker's got to do, because a game of Quidditch doesn't end until the Snitch has been caught. And whichever team's Seeker gets the Snitch earns his team an extra hundred and fifty points." **

"**And **_**you're **_**the Gryffindor Seeker, aren't you?" said Colin in awe. **

"I will never not be in awe of the boy who lived" Colin muttered to Ginny who nodded her head, and Harry, having seen this, scowled lightly and rolled his eyes, mumbling something to Sirius.

"**Yes," said Harry as they left the castle and started across the dew-drenched grass. "And there's the Keeper, too. He guards the goal posts. That's it, really."**

"There's more than that, Harry." James said exasperatedly. 

**But Colin didn't stop questioning Harry all the way down the sloping lawns to the Quidditch field, and Harry only shook him off when he reached the changing rooms; Colin called after him in a piping voice, "I'll go and get a good seat, Harry!" and hurried off to the stands. **

"Really, it was super early, I was super exhausted. I wanted to be left alone and not gawked at." Harry muttered, while Hermione squeezed his hand.

**The rest of the Gryffindor team were already in the changing room. Wood was the only person who looked truly awake. Fred and George Weasley were sitting, puffy-eyed and touslehaired, next to fourth year Alicia Spinnet, who seemed to be nodding off against the wall behind her. **

"We had a—"

"Late night that night—"

"Doing this and that—" Fred grinned, winking at Harry, who burst out laughing while shaking his head.

"Oy, I really don't want to know about those kind of things, Weasley's." He laughed.

**Her fellow Chasers, Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson, were yawning side by side opposite them. **

"**There you are, Harry, what kept you?" said Wood briskly.**

"A bumbling fan," James laughed, clapping his hands.

"**Now, I wanted a quick talk with you all before we actually get onto the field, because I spent the summer devising a whole new training program, which I really think will make all the difference…" **

"A quick talk—"

"My ass." Harry finished for Fred, grinning. Fred laughed, high-fiving Harry at the same time. James looked at them in confusion before shrugging.

**Wood was holding up a large diagram of a Quidditch field, on which were drawn many lines, arrows, and crosses in different colored inks. **

"Was so confusing." Katie stated, shaking her head at the memory.

**He took out his wand, tapped the board, and the arrows began to wiggle over the diagram like caterpillars. As Wood launched into a speech about his new tactics, Fred Weasley's head drooped right onto Alicia Spinnet's shoulder and he began to snore. **

"Awwwww," Many people said, causing Alicia to blush and Fred to smirk, before getting slapped by his sister.

**The first board took nearly twenty minutes to explain, but there was another board under that, and a third under that one. Harry sank into a stupor as Wood droned on and on. **

"Harry, when you make captain—"

"I promise, to never turn into a Woody," Harry smirked while everyone else laughed, including the twins. James, who had his mouth open in shocked, had to ask, "You'll be captain?"

"It's not certain yet but—"

"We have a pretty good—"

"Idea that MinMin will make Harry captain," George finished.

"**So," said Wood, at long last, jerking Harry from a wistful fantasy about what he could be eating for breakfast at this very moment up at the castle. "Is that clear? Any questions?" **

"**I've got a question, Oliver," said George, who had woken with a start. "Why couldn't you have told us all this yesterday when we were awake?" **

"I CONCUR!" Harry yelled, grinning, while Hermione pulled him down, laughing.

**Wood wasn't pleased. "Now, listen here, you lot," he said, glowering at them all. "We should have won the Quidditch cup last year. We're easily the best team. But unfortunately — owing to circumstances beyond our control —" **

**Harry shifted guiltily in his seat. He had been unconscious in the hospital wing for the final match of the previous year, meaning that Gryffindor had been a player short and had suffered their worst defeat in three hundred years. **

"Oh, it wasn't your fault, kiddo." James smiled lightly, knowing what it's like to put the blame on yourself.

**Wood took a moment to regain control of himself. Their last defeat was clearly still torturing him. **

"All of the defeats torture him." Neville laughed.

"Remember in third year?" George questioned, while Harry groaned.

"Guys, don't remind me."

"**So this year, we train harder than ever before… Okay, let's go and put our new theories into practice!" Wood shouted, seizing his broomstick and leading the way out of the locker rooms. Stiff-legged and still yawning, his team followed. They had been in the locker room so long that the sun was up completely now, although remnants of mist hung over the grass in the stadium. As Harry walked onto the field, he saw Ron and Hermione sitting in the stands. **

"**Aren't you finished yet?" called Ron incredulously. **

"**Haven't even started," said Harry, looking jealously at the toast and marmalade Ron and Hermione had brought out of the Great Hall. "Wood's been teaching us new moves." **

"Can't believe it took them _that_ long," Hermione muttered.

"Especially with Ronald's sleeping pattern," Ginny laughed.

**He mounted his broomstick and kicked at the ground, soaring up into the air. The cool morning air whipped his face, waking him far more effectively than Wood's long talk. It felt wonderful to be back on the Quidditch field. **

James sighed, wishing he could be in the air again himself.

**He soared right around the stadium at full speed, racing Fred and George. **

"I would've won, too." Fred muttered, smirking.

"In your dreams, Weasley," Harry grinned.

"**What's that funny clicking noise?" called Fred as they hurtled around the corner. Harry looked into the stands. Colin was sitting in one of the highest seats, his camera raised, taking picture after picture, the sound strangely magnified in the deserted stadium. **

"I really hated that, Colin."

"Sorry, Harry."

"**Look this way, Harry! This way!" he cried shrilly. **

"**Who's that?" said Fred. **

"**No idea," Harry lied, putting on a spurt of speed that took him as far away as possible from Colin. **

"You lied?" Fred asked, affronted.

"**What's going on?" said Wood, frowning, as he skimmed through the air toward them. **

"**Why's that first year taking pictures? I don't like it. He could be a Slytherin spy, trying to find out about our new training program." **

"**He's in Gryffindor," said Harry quickly.**

"**And the Slytherins don't need a spy, Oliver," said George. **

"What makes you say that? They're probably horrible," Lily laughed.

"**What makes you say that?" said Wood testily. **

Lily stopped laughing, while James started.

"My wife – thinks like – a Quidditch captain!" He gasped.

"**Because they're here in person," said George, pointing. **

"WHAT? WHY?" James questioned, his legs shaking once more.

**Several people in green robes were walking onto the field, broomsticks in their hands. "I don't believe it!" Wood hissed in outrage. "I booked the field for today! We'll see about this!" **

**Wood shot toward the ground, landing rather harder than he meant to in his anger, staggering slightly as he dismounted. Harry, Fred, and George followed. **

"Yeah, kick their asses outta there!" Someone shouted.

"**Flint!" Wood bellowed at the Slytherin Captain. "This is our practice time! We got up specially! You can clear off now!" **

"Yeah, you tell 'em, Wood!" Remus shouted, while many people stared at him in shock.

"What? I like my Quidditch," He shrugged, grinning slightly while James snorted.

**Marcus Flint was even larger than Wood. He had a look of trollish cunning on his face as he replied, "Plenty of room for all of us, Wood." **

James snorted, while many people laughed.

"Actually Harry, Flint is part troll" Minerva laughed, trying to hold her sides.

**Angelina, Alicia, and Katie had come over, too. There were no girls on the Slytherin team, who stood shoulder to shoulder, facing the Gryffindors, leering to a man.**

"**But I booked the field!" said Wood, positively spitting with rage. "I booked it!" **

"**Ah," said Flint. "But I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape. **_**'I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker'. **_**" **

"You've got a new seeker? Where is he, then?" James laughed.

"**You've got a new Seeker?" said Wood, distracted. "Where?" And from behind the six large figures before them came a seventh, smaller boy, smirking all over his pale, pointed face. It was Draco Malfoy. **

James rolled his eyes, Severus grinned, Lucius puffed out his chest and Draco smirked.

"**Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?" said Fred, looking at Malfoy with dislike. **

"We all would, Fred." Lee Jordan stated, nodding his head solemnly.

"**Funny you should mention Draco's father," said Flint as the whole Slytherin team smiled still more broadly. "Let me show you the generous gift he's made to the Slytherin team." All seven of them held out their broomsticks. Seven highly polished, brand-new handles and seven sets of fine gold lettering spelling the words **_**Nimbus Two Thousand and One **_**gleamed under the Gryffindors' noses in the early morning sun. **

"Wow." James gasped, not wanting to admit to being jealous at a broom by someone like a _Malfoy_.

"**Very latest model. Only came out last month," said Flint carelessly, flicking a speck of dust from the end of his own. "I believe it outstrips the old Two Thousand series by a considerable amount. As for the old Cleansweeps" — he smiled nastily at Fred and George, who were both clutching Cleansweep Fives —" sweeps the board with them."None of the Gryffindor team could think of anything to say for a moment. Malfoy was smirking so broadly his cold eyes were reduced to slits. **

Snorts were heard around the room, some people laughed at Malfoy's description and Harry started holding onto Hermione knowing what was coming up.

"**Oh, look," said Flint. "A field invasion." **

**Ron and Hermione were crossing the grass to see what was going on. "What's happening?" Ron asked Harry. "Why aren't you playing? And what's **_**he **_**doing here?"He was looking at Malfoy, taking in his Slytherin Quidditch robes. **

"**I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley," said Malfoy, smugly. "Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought our team. Ron gaped, open-mouthed, at the seven superb broomsticks in front of him. **

"**Good, aren't they?" said Malfoy smoothly. "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them." The Slytherin team howled with laughter. **

"Why? It's not like it was _actually_ funny." Lily asked, confused, "And I would know funny, as I married a marauder, was best friends with one, and made the other one my son's godfather." She finished. Oddly enough, the twins were too busy mumbling to one another to hear Lily mention this, but Lee wasn't. After looking at Harry, who smirked and shook his head, he knew to stay silent, smirking himself.

"**At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to **_**buy **_**their way in," said Hermione sharply. "**_**They **_**got in on pure talent." **

"YOU TELL 'EM, DARLING!" James grinned, while Hermione blushed and Harry laughed. Narcissa let out a small smile, anger at Lucius for making Draco into a spoilt brat simmering underneath her skin.

**The smug look on Malfoy's face flickered. **

"**No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," he spat. **

The great hall was so incredibly silent, that if someone dropped a pin, it could have been heard for miles. People at the Slytherin table, who were about to smirk, were quieted by the glares they – or well, Draco – was receiving, his mother included in those glares. Narcissa was trying not to scold her son for using that language. She might be Black, but like Sirius, she always wanted to be away from the family values, but like Regulus, chose to hide her opinions. Now though, she wished she hadn't.

The Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables were glaring, while most of the Gryffindor's glared, while others were discreetly looking at Harry and Hermione. Harry currently had his arm around Hermione, rubbing his hand on her arm, with his other hand in Sirius' fur, clenching and unclenching. The two of them were glaring at Malfoy, alongside Remus, who eyes were getting darker and Sirius, who was growling in anger.

James and Lily, who had briefly forgot about the chapter title, were also glaring at the Malfoy's, though James had definitely noticed that Narcissa was angry at her son. Lily kept glaring at Malfoy, but also kept glaring at Snape, who would flinch from time to time.

**Harry knew at once that Malfoy had said something really bad because there was an instant uproar at his words. Flint had to dive in front of Malfoy to stop Fred and George jumping on him, Alicia shrieked, **_**"How dare you!" **_**and Ron plunged his hand into his robes, pulled out his wand, yelling, "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" and pointed it furiously under Flint's arm at Malfoys face. **

**A loud bang echoed around the stadium and a jet of green light shot out of the wrong end of Ron's wand, hitting him in the stomach and sending him reeling backward onto the grass. **

"What kind of spell was that?" James asked, wrinkling his nose, no longer liking spells that were colored green.

"**Ron! Ron! Are you all right?" squealed Hermione. **

"Aw, that's why Hermione would be so good with Ronald." Molly could be heard telling Ginny, who nodded. Lily had snorted at this, James had arched an eyebrow, Remus had rolled his eyes, Sirius had barked angrily, Harry and Hermione ignored them, and the twins?

"Please mother—"

"It's obvious—"

"Hermione and Harry—"

"Are perfect Harmony—"

"Their names combined of course, Harmony—"

"They'd even have the same initials-"

"HJP—"

"If they married." They finished, snorting at their mothers angry look and Ron burst into laughter.

**Ron opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead he gave an almighty belch and several slugs dribbled out of his mouth onto his lap.**

"Eugh, gross." Lily said, wrinkling her nose.

"Really Weasley, why did you not come to me for help?" Minerva asked, while Ron shrugged.

**The Slytherin team were paralyzed with laughter. Flint was doubled up, hanging onto his new broomstick for support. Malfoy was on all fours, banging the ground with his fist. The Gryffindors were gathered around Ron, who kept belching large, glistening slugs. Nobody seemed to want to touch him. **

"**We'd better get him to Hagrid's, it's nearest," said Harry to Hermione, who nodded bravely, and the pair of them pulled Ron up by the arms. **

"**What happened, Harry? What happened? Is he ill? But you can cure him, can't you?" Colin had run down from his seat and was now dancing alongside them as they left the field. Ron gave a huge heave and more slugs dribbled down his front. **

"**Oooh," said Colin, fascinated and raising his camera. "Can you hold him still, Harry?" **

"Now is not the time for a photo!' Arthur snapped, not having heard about this incident from Ron, and being worried for his youngest son.

"**Get out of the way, Colin!" said Harry angrily. He and Hermione supported Ron out of the stadium and across the grounds toward the edge of the forest. **

"**Nearly there, Ron," said Hermione as the gamekeeper's cabin came into view. "You'll be all right in a minute — almost there —" They were within twenty feet of Hagrid's house when the front door opened, but it wasn't Hagrid who emerged. Gilderoy Lockhart, wearing robes of palest mauve today, came striding out. **

"Ugh, what did he possibly want?"

"**Quick, behind here," Harry hissed, dragging Ron behind a nearby bush. Hermione followed, somewhat reluctantly. **

"**It's a simple matter if you know what you're doing!" Lockhart was saying loudly to Hagrid. "If you need help, you know where I am! I'll let you have a copy of my book. I'm surprised you haven't already got one — I'll sign one tonight and send it over. Well, good-bye!" And he strode away toward the castle. **

"Does he think he knows _everything_?" Someone asked.

"Apparently," Another added, shrugging their shoulders.

**Harry waited until Lockhart was out of sight, then pulled Ron out of the bush and up to Hagrid's front door. They knocked urgently. Hagrid appeared at once, looking very grumpy, but his expression brightened when he saw who it was. **

"**Bin wonderin' when you'd come ter see me — come in, come in — thought you mighta bin Professor Lockhart back again —" Harry and Hermione supported Ron over the threshold into the one-roomed cabin, which had an enormous bed in one corner, a fire crackling merrily in the other. Hagrid didn't seem perturbed by Ron's slug problem, which Harry hastily explained as he lowered Ron into a chair. **

"**Better out than in," he said cheerfully, plunking a large copper basin in front of him. "Get 'em all up, Ron." **

"Of course you would, Hagrid." James snorted.

"**I don't think there's anything to do except wait for it to stop," said Hermione anxiously, watching Ron bend over the basin. "That's a difficult curse to work at the best of times, but with a broken wand —" Hagrid was bustling around making them tea. His boarhound, Fang, was slobbering over Harry. **

"**What did Lockhart want with you, Hagrid?" Harry asked, scratching Fang's ears. "Givin' me advice on gettin' kelpies out of a well," growled Hagrid, moving a half-plucked rooster off his scrubbed table and setting down the teapot. "Like I don' know. An' bangin' on about some banshee he banished. If one word of it was true, I'll eat my kettle." **

"Well, thank god he doesn't have to do that now, eh?" Ron muttered, grinning.

**It was most unlike Hagrid to criticize a Hogwarts' teacher, and Harry looked at him in surprise. Hermione, however, said in a voice somewhat higher than usual, "I think you're being a bit unfair. Professor Dumbledore obviously thought he was the best man for the job —" **

"Probably the only man for the job, sweetie." Lily laughed.

"**He was the **_**on'y **_**man for the job," said Hagrid, offering them a plate of treacle fudge, while Ron coughed squelchily into his basin. "An' I mean the **_**on'y **_**one. Gettin' very difficult ter find anyone fer the Dark Arts job. People aren't too keen ter take it on, see. They're startin' ter think it's jinxed. No one's lasted long fer a while now. So tell me," said Hagrid, jerking his head at Ron. "Who was he tryin' ter curse?" **

"How long has it been jinxed?" Someone asked.

"Almost twenty years, I believe." Albus said, wondering curiously if it was – but no.

"**Malfoy called Hermione something — it must've been really bad, because everyone went wild." **

"It was horrible," Harry growled.

"**It **_**was **_**bad," said Ron hoarsely, emerging over the tabletop looking pale and sweaty. "Malfoy called her 'Mudblood,' Hagrid —" Ron dived out of sight again as a fresh wave of slugs made their appearance. Hagrid looked outraged. **

"Rightfully so!" He shouted.

"**He didn'!" he growled at Hermione. **

"**He did," she said. "But I don't know what it means. I could tell it was really rude, of course —" **

"**It's about the most insulting thing he could think of," gasped Ron, coming back up. "Mudblood's a really foul name for someone who is Muggle-born — you know, non-magic parents. There are some wizards — like Malfoy's family — who think they're better than everyone else because they're what people call pure-blood." He gave a small burp, and a single slug fell into his outstretched hand. He threw it into the basin and continued, "I mean, the rest of us know it doesn't make any difference at all. Look at Neville Longbottom — he's pure-blood and he can hardly stand a cauldron the right way up." **

Neville blushed while Ron grimaced.

"Sorry, Nev."

"It's fine." He responded quietly.

"**An' they haven't invented a spell our Hermione can' do," said Hagrid proudly, making Hermione go a brilliant shade of magenta. **

"**It's a disgusting thing to call someone," said Ron, wiping his sweaty brow with a shaking hand. "Dirty blood, see. Common blood. It's ridiculous. Most wizards these days are half-blood anyway. If we hadn't married Muggles we'd've died out." He retched and ducked out of sight again. **

"**Well, I don' blame yeh fer tryin' ter curse him, Ron," said Hagrid loudly over the thuds of more slugs hitting the basin. "Bu' maybe it was a good thing yer wand backfired. 'Spect Lucius Malfoy would've come marchin' up ter school if yeh'd cursed his son. Least yer not in trouble." **

**Harry would have pointed out that trouble didn't come much worse than having slugs pouring out of your mouth, but he couldn't; Hagrid's treacle fudge had cemented his jaws together. **

"**Harry," said Hagrid abruptly as though struck by a sudden thought. "Gotta bone ter pick with yeh. I've heard you've bin givin' out signed photos. How come I haven't got one?" **

**Furious, Harry wrenched his teeth apart. **

"**I have **_**not **_**been giving out signed photos," he said hotly. "If Lockhart's still spreading that around —" **

**But then he saw that Hagrid was laughing. **

"Spent too much time 'round yer dad, had to play a lit'le prank on yeh, Harry." Hagrid laughed, while Harry grinned and blushed. Snape glared a little, not believing for one minute that Potter didn't want the attention.

"**I'm on'y jokin'," he said, patting Harry genially on the back and sending him face first into the table. "I knew yeh hadn't really. I told Lockhart yeh didn' need teh. Yer more famous than him without tryin'." **

"Bet he didn't like that." Lily snorted while James nodded, rubbing his chin. Cuthbert laughed at the action before he continued reading.

"**Bet he didn't like that," said Harry, sitting up and rubbing his chin. **

Lily laughed now, snorts coming out of her quite often, while Harry blushed and grinned at having something similar to his father.

"**Don' think he did," said Hagrid, his eyes twinkling. "An' then I told him I'd never read one o' his books an' he decided ter go. Treacle fudge, Ron?" he added as Ron reappeared. **

"**No thanks," said Ron weakly. "Better not risk it." **

"**Come an' see what I've bin growin'," said Hagrid as Harry and Hermione finished the last of their tea. In the small vegetable patch behind Hagrid's house were a dozen of the largest pumpkins Harry had ever seen. Each was the size of a large boulder. **

"Wow." A first year gasped, her eyes wide.

"**Gettin' on well, aren't they?" said Hagrid happily. "Fer the Halloween feast… should be big enough by then." **

"A little too big."

"Was delicious though."

"Too bad we had none," Ron muttered.

"**What've you been feeding them?" said Harry. **

**Hagrid looked over his shoulder to check that they were alone. "Well, I've bin givin' them — you know — a bit o' help —" **

Many people snorted, knowing that was just like Hagrid.

**Harry noticed Hagrid's flowery pink umbrella leaning against the back wall of the cabin. Harry had had reason to believe before now that this umbrella was not all it looked; in fact, he had the strong impression that Hagrid's old school wand was concealed inside it. Hagrid wasn't supposed to use magic. He had been expelled from Hogwarts in his third year, but Harry had never found out why — any mention of the matter and Hagrid would clear his throat loudly and become mysteriously deaf until the subject was changed. **

"Until later on, o'course." Harry smirked, high-fiving Ron.

"**An Engorgement Charm, I suppose?" said Hermione, halfway between disapproval and amusement. "Well, you've done a good job on them." **

"**That's what yer little sister said," said Hagrid, nodding at Ron. "Met her jus' yesterday." Hagrid looked sideways at Harry, his beard twitching. "Said she was jus' lookin' round the grounds, but I reckon she was hopin' she might run inter someone else at my house." He winked at Harry. "If yeh ask me, **_**she **_**wouldn' say no ter a signed —" **

Harry groaned as Ginny blushed, and Molly noticed that James and Lily rolled their eyes. She was feeling suddenly angry. Shouldn't they be grateful of her, taking care of their son? Giving him someone to love in the future?

Remus, having noticed Molly's anger, and where it was directed, snorted, and nudged Sirius, who wagged his tail as his eyes shone.

"**Oh, shut up," said Harry. Ron snorted with laughter and the ground was sprayed with slugs. **

"**Watch it!" Hagrid roared, pulling Ron away from his precious pumpkins. **

"Gross, Ronald." Lavendar muttered.

**It was nearly lunchtime and as Harry had only had one bit of treacle fudge since dawn, he was keen to go back to school to eat. They said good-bye to Hagrid and walked back up to the castle, Ron hiccoughing occasionally, but only bringing up two very small slugs. **

**They had barely set foot in the cool entrance hall when a voice rang out, "There you are, Potter — Weasley." Professor McGonagall was walking toward them, looking stern. "You will both do your detentions this evening." **

"Oh, I forgot about those!" Lily muttered while James grimaced.

"**What're we doing, Professor?" said Ron, nervously suppressing a burp. **

"_**You **_**will be polishing the silver in the trophy room with Mr. Filch," said Professor McGonagall. "And no magic, Weasley — elbow grease." Ron gulped. Argus Filch, the caretaker, was loathed by every student in the school. **

"And adult, Weasley." Fillius stated.

"**And you, Potter, will be helping Professor Lockhart answer his fan mail," said Professor McGonagall. **

"Oh, c'mon, Minnie, be nice to my son!" James groaned, while Minerva glared, trying not to show any amusement at her old student.

"**Oh n — Professor, can't I go and do the trophy room, too?" said Harry desperately. **

"**Certainly not," said Professor McGonagall, raising her eyebrows. "Professor Lockhart requested you particularly. Eight o'clock sharp, both of you." **

"Hated those detentions." Harry mumbled.

"Not near as bad as your current ones with Umbitch though, right Harry?" Hermione muttered. Harry nodded, rubbing his hand, which didn't go unseen by Sirius and Remus.

**Harry and Ron slouched into the Great Hall in states of deepest gloom, Hermione behind them, wearing a **_**well-you-did-break-school-rules **_**sort of expression. Harry didn't enjoy his shepherd's pie as much as he'd thought. Both he and Ron felt they'd got the worse deal. **

"**Filch'll have me there all night," said Ron heavily. "No magic! There must be about a hundred cups in that room. I'm no good at Muggle cleaning." **

"**I'd swap anytime," said Harry hollowly. "I've had loads of practice with the Dursleys. Answering Lockhart's fan mail… he'll be a nightmare…" Saturday afternoon seemed to melt away, and in what seemed like no time, it was five minutes to eight, and Harry was dragging his feet along the second-floor corridor to Lockhart's office. He gritted his teeth and knocked. **

**The door flew open at once. Lockhart beamed down at him. **

"**Ah, here's the scalawag!" he said. "Come in, Harry, come in —"**

"Ugh, I want to curse him already." Lily muttered.

**Shining brightly on the walls by the light of many candles were countless framed photographs of Lockhart. He had even signed a few of them. Another large pile lay on his desk. **

"Narcissist much?" Narcissa muttered, ironically.

"**You can address the envelopes!" Lockhart told Harry, as though this was a huge treat. **

"**This first one's to Gladys Gudgeon, bless her — huge fan of mine —" **

"Are you serious?" James gasped, while Sirius was about to bark and had stood up from his sitting dog position.

"NO, snuffles. Enough." Harry laughed, pulling him back down while James smirked and Lily laughed.

**The minutes snailed by. Harry let Lockhart's voice wash over him, occasionally saying, "Mmm" and "Right" and "Yeah." Now and then he caught a phrase like, "Fame's a fickle friend, Harry," or "Celebrity is as celebrity does, remember that." **

**The candles burned lower and lower, making the light dance over the many moving faces of Lockhart watching him. Harry moved his aching hand over what felt like the thousandth envelope, writing out Veronica Smethley's address. **_**It must be nearly time to leave**_**, Harry thought miserably, **_**please let it be nearly time… **_

**And then he heard something — something quite apart from the spitting of the dying candles and Lockhart's prattle about his fans. **

**It was a voice, a voice to chill the bone marrow, a voice of breathtaking, ice-cold venom. **

"_**Come… come to me… Let me rip you.. .Let me tear you.. .Let me kill you…" **_

"WHAT?!" James and Lily shouted, standing up in worry.

**Harry gave a huge jump and a large lilac blot appeared on Veronica Smethley's street. **

"_**What**_**?" he said loudly. **

"**I know!" said Lockhart. "Six solid months at the top of the best-seller list! Broke all records!" **

"**No," said Harry frantically. "That voice!" **

"**Sorry?" said Lockhart, looking puzzled. "What voice?" **

"Didn't he hear it? Or is his brain too small that he can only hear his own voice?"

"**That — that voice that said — didn't you hear it?" **

**Lockhart was looking at Harry in high astonishment. **

"**What are you talking about, Harry? Perhaps you're getting a little drowsy? Great Scott — look at the time! We've been here nearly four hours! I'd never have believed it — the time's flown, hasn't it?" **

"FOUR. HOURS?" Lily growled, angry once more.

**Harry didn't answer. He was straining his ears to hear the voice again, but there was no sound now except for Lockhart telling him he mustn't expect a treat like this every time he got detention. Feeling dazed, Harry left. **

**It was so late that the Gryffindor common room was almost empty. Harry went straight up to the dormitory. Ron wasn't back yet. Harry pulled on his pajamas, got into bed, and waited. Half an hour later, Ron arrived, nursing his right arm and bringing a strong smell of polish into the darkened room. **

"**My muscles have all seized up," he groaned, sinking on his bed. "Fourteen times he made me buff up that Quidditch cup before he was satisfied. And then I had another slug attack all over a Special Award for Services to the School. Took ages to get the slime off… How was it with Lockhart?" **

**Keeping his voice low so as not to wake Neville, Dean, and Seamus, Harry told Ron exactly what he had heard. **

"**And Lockhart said he couldn't hear it?" said Ron. Harry could see him frowning in the moonlight. "D'you think he was lying? But I don't get it — even someone invisible would've had to open the door." **

"**I know," said Harry, lying back in his four-poster and staring at the canopy above him. "I don't get it either."**

Lily thought about that for a minute, then, after remember the title, groaned and muttered to James, whose eyes widened in fear.

"Who wants to read next?" Binns asked.

"I will, Cuth." Pomona stated, as the book floated to her.


	28. Chapter 28

"**CHAPTER EIGHT, The Deathday Party**" Pomona started.

**October arrived, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle.**

"It tends to do that in October." Snape snorted.

**Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was kept busy by a sudden spate of colds among the staff and students. Her Pepperup potion worked instantly, though it left the drinker smoking at the ears for several hours afterward.**

"I never liked the taste of that potion." Lily interrupted, a faraway look on her face.

"Because it tastes like Pepper, and you hate Pepper, Lily" James laughed.

**Ginny Weasley, who had been looking pale, was bullied into taking some by Percy. The steam pouring from under her vivid hair gave the impression that her whole head was on fire. **

Everyone laughed, while Ginny looked down embarrassed.

**Raindrops the size of bullets thundered on the castle windows for days on end; the lake rose, the flower beds turned into muddy streams, and Hagrid's pumpkins swelled to the size of garden sheds.**

James whistled at this, looking quite impressed.

**Oliver Wood's enthusiasm for regular training sessions, however, was not dampened, which was why Harry was to be found, late one stormy Saturday afternoon a few days before Halloween, returning to Gryffindor Tower, drenched to the skin and splattered with mud. **

"Oh, that's always so annoying." Remus muttered.

"Were you on the Quidditch team?" Harry questioned, having heard his old professor.

"Oh, no, but James and Sirius were, and they tracked mud quite often enough."

"Got in so many detentions with Filch. We're probably the ones that made him hate mud." James laughed, remembering the old days.

**Even aside from the rain and wind it hadn't been a happy practice session. Fred and George, who had been spying on the Slytherin team, had seen for themselves the speed of those new Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones.**

"Let's not be reminded, yeah?" George grimaced.

**They reported that the Slytherin team was no more than seven greenish blurs, shooting through the air like missiles.**

"Thanks for nothing, book." Fred interrupted.

**As Harry squelched along the deserted corridor he came across somebody who looked just as preoccupied as he was. Nearly Headless Nick, the ghost of Gryffindor Tower, was staring morosely out of a window, muttering under his breath, "… don't fulfill their requirements… half an inch, if that…" **

"Oh please, he's still not going on about the hunt, is he?" Lily groaned, shaking her head.

"Appears to be," James replied.

"**Hello, Nick," said Harry. **

"**Hello, hello," said Nearly Headless Nick, starting and looking round. He wore a dashing, plumed hat on his long curly hair, and a tunic with a ruff, which concealed the fact that his neck was almost completely severed. He was pale as smoke, and Harry could see right through him to the dark sky and torrential rain outside. **

"He always reminded me of Shakespeare," Hermione muttered.

"**You look troubled, young Potter," said Nick, folding a transparent letter as he spoke and tucking it inside his doublet. **

"**So do you," said Harry. **

"**Ah," Nearly Headless Nick waved an elegant hand, "a matter of no importance… It's not as though I really wanted to join… Thought I'd apply, but apparently I 'don't fulfill requirements' —" **

"Didn't really want to join?" James gasped, his mouth open.

"How obvious," Minerva also said.

**In spite of his airy tone, there was a look of great bitterness on his face. "But you would think, wouldn't you," he erupted suddenly, pulling the letter back out of his pocket, "that getting hit forty-five times in the neck with a blunt axe would qualify you to join the Headless Hunt?" **

"**Oh — yes," said Harry, who was obviously supposed to agree.**

"Obviously," Lily grinned.

**"I mean, nobody wishes more than I do that it had all been quick and clean, and my head had come off properly, I mean, it would have saved me a great deal of pain and ridicule. However—" Nearly Headless Nick shook his letter open and read furiously: **

"'_**We can only accept huntsmen whose heads have parted company with their bodies. You will appreciate that it would be impossible otherwise for members to participate in hunt activities such as Horseback Head-Juggling and Head Polo. It is with the greatest regret, therefore, that I must inform you that you do not fulfill our requirements. With very best wishes, Sir Patrick Delaney-Podmore.'" **_

**Fuming, Nearly Headless Nick stuffed the letter away. **

"I just don't see why they don't give him a break," Neville muttered, feeling bad for their ghost.

"**Half an inch of skin and sinew holding my neck on, Harry! Most people would think that's good and beheaded, but oh, no, it's not enough for Sir Properly Decapitated-Podmore." **

Many people snorted at this, while Harry shook his head and Remus arched an eyebrow.

**Nearly Headless Nick took several deep breaths and then said, in a far calmer tone, "So — what's bothering you? Anything I can do?" **

"**No," said Harry. "Not unless you know where we can get seven free Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones for our match against Sly—" The rest of Harry's sentence was drowned out by a high-pitched mewling from somewhere near his ankles. **

"Oh bugger, not the bloody cat." Fred grimaced, sinking down a bit, wishing they could sit in something more comfortable.

**He looked down and found himself gazing into a pair of lamp-like yellow eyes. It was Mrs. Norris, the skeletal gray cat who was used by the caretaker, Argus Filch, as a sort of deputy in his endless battle against students. **

"Endless battle indeed," Snape muttered, rolling his eyes.

"**You'd better get out of here, Harry," said Nick quickly. "Filch isn't in a good mood — he's got the flu and some third years accidentally plastered frog brains all over the ceiling in dungeon five. He's been cleaning all morning, and if he sees you dripping mud all over the place —" **

"Awesome" The twins interrupted, their eyes wide with the idea of plastering frog brains everywhere. James grinned at the look on their faces, recognizing it quite well.

"**Right," said Harry, backing away from the accusing stare of Mrs. Norris, but not quickly enough. Drawn to the spot by the mysterious power that seemed to connect him with his foul cat, Argus Filch burst suddenly through a tapestry to Harry's right, wheezing and looking wildly about for the rule-breaker. There was a thick tartan scarf bound around his head, and his nose was unusually purple. **

"That's really gross," Cho muttered, wrinkling his nose.

"**Filth!" he shouted, his jowls aquiver, his eyes popping alarmingly as he pointed at the muddy puddle that had dripped from Harry's Quidditch robes. "Mess and muck everywhere! I've had enough of it, I tell you! Follow me, Potter!" **

Groans were heard all around the hall, while heads shook.

**So Harry waved a gloomy good-bye to Nearly Headless Nick and followed Filch back downstairs, doubling the number of muddy footprints on the floor. Harry had never been inside Filch's office before; it was a place most students avoided.**

"Sometimes, you just can't help it though, Harry." The twins grinned, interrupting once more.

**The room was dingy and windowless, lit by a single oil lamp dangling from the low ceiling. A faint smell of fried fish lingered about the place. Wooden filing cabinets stood around the walls; from their labels, Harry could see that they contained details of every pupil Filch had ever punished. Fred and George Weasley had an entire drawer to themselves.**

James snorted when he saw the twins puff out their chest, and decided to knock 'em down a notch.

"I heard the Marauder's have two drawers dedicated to themselves," He grinned, when the twins own grins faded a little. However, his grin soon also faded.

"And your imbecile of a son has three." Snape drawled, while everyone laughed and Harry looked down, blushing.

**A highly polished collection of chains and manacles hung on the wall behind Filch's desk. It was common knowledge that he was always begging Dumbledore to let him suspend students by their ankles from the ceiling.**

Dolores inched forward in her seat, deciding that that punishment was a very good one indeed, and vowed to let the caretaker use it at some point soon.

**Filch grabbed a quill from a pot on his desk and began shuffling around looking for parchment. **

"**Dung," he muttered furiously, "great sizzling dragon bogies… frog brains… rat intestines… I've had enough of it… make an example… where's the form… yes…" **

"Dragon bogies? Where'd you get dragon bogies?" Someone stated, disbelief written on their face.

"Rat intestines? Gross." Someone else muttered.

**He retrieved a large roll of parchment from his desk drawer and stretched it out in front of him, dipping his long black quill into the ink pot. **

"_**Name**_**… Harry Potter. **_**Crime**_**…" **

"**It was only a bit of mud!" said Harry. **

"It won't matter to Filch, dear." Lily stated, smiling lightly.

"**It's only a bit of mud to you, boy, but to me it's an extra hour scrubbing!" shouted Filch, a drip shivering unpleasantly at the end of his bulbous nose. "**_**Crime**_**… befouling the castle… **_**suggested sentence**_**…" **

**Dabbing at his streaming nose, Filch squinted unpleasantly at Harry who waited with bated breath for his sentence to fall. **

"Eugh," Many people shouted at the description of Filch.

"Why must you be so damn descriptive, Potter."

**But as Filch lowered his quill, there was a great BANG! on the ceiling of the office, which made the oil lamp rattle. **

"**PEEVES!" Filch roared, flinging down his quill in a transport of rage. "I'll have you this time, I'll have you!" And without a backward glance at Harry, Filch ran flat-footed from the office, Mrs. Norris streaking alongside him. **

**Peeves was the school poltergeist, a grinning, airborne menace who lived to cause havoc and distress. Harry didn't much like Peeves, but couldn't help feeling grateful for his timing. Hopefully, whatever Peeves had done (and it sounded as though he'd wrecked something very big this time) would distract Filch from Harry. **

**Thinking that he should probably wait for Filch to come back, Harry sank into a moth-eaten chair next to the desk. There was only one thing on it apart from his half-completed form: a large, glossy, purple envelope with silver lettering on the front. With a quick glance at the door to check that Filch wasn't on his way back, Harry picked up the envelope and read: **

"HARRY JAMES, YOU DO NOT LOOK IN OTHER PEOPLE'S THINGS." Lily interrupted, shock on her face as Harry flinched back, also noticing that Mrs. Weasley looked very disapproving.

"Not surprised to see the brat nosing his way into other people's business," Snape muttered, his eyes going wide when Lily turns her glare to him.

_**Kwikspell **_

_**A Correspondence Course in Beginners' Magic. **_

"Beginners magic? Why would Filch need to know that? Isn't he a wizard too?" A first year questioned.

**Intrigued, Harry flicked the envelope open and pulled out the sheaf of parchment inside. More curly silver writing on the front page said: **

_**Feel out of step in the world of modern magic? Find yourself making excuses not to perform simple spells? Ever been taunted for your woeful wandwork? **_

_**There is an answer! **_

_**Kwikspell is an all-new, fail-safe, quick-result, easy-learn course. Hundreds of witches and wizards have benefited from the Kwikspell method! **_

_**Madam Z. Nettles of Topsham writes: **_

"_**I had no memory for incantations and my potions were a family joke! Now, after a Kwikspell course, I am the center of attention at parties and friends beg for the recipe of my Scintillation Solution!" **_

Someone snorted at this, no doubt the twins or James.

_**Warlock D. J. Prod of Didsbury says: **_

"_**My wife used to sneer at my feeble charms, but one month into your fabulous Kwikspell course and I succeeded in turning her into a yak! Thank you, Kwikspell!" **_

**Fascinated, Harry thumbed through the rest of the envelope's contents. Why on earth did Filch want a Kwikspell course? Did this mean he wasn't a proper wizard? Harry was just reading **_**Lesson One: Holding Your Wand (Some Useful Tips) **_**when shuffling footsteps outside told him Filch was coming back. Stuffing the parchment back into the envelope, Harry threw it back onto the desk just as the door opened. **

"He'll notice Harry, trust me." James said, shaking his head.

**Filch was looking triumphant. **

"**That vanishing cabinet was extremely valuable!" he was saying gleefully to Mrs. Norris. "We'll have Peeves out this time, my sweet —" **

**His eyes fell on Harry and then darted to the Kwikspell envelope, which, Harry realized too late, was lying two feet away from where it had started. **

"Oh dear."

**Filch's pasty face went brick red. Harry braced himself for a tidal wave of fury. Filch hobbled across to his desk, snatched up the envelope, and threw it into a drawer. **

"**Have you — did you read —?" he sputtered. **

"**No," Harry lied quickly. **

**Filch's knobbly hands were twisting together. "If I thought you'd read my private —not that it's mine — for a friend — be that as it may — however —" **

**Harry was staring at him, alarmed; Filch had never looked madder. His eyes were popping, a tic was going in one of his pouchy cheeks, and the tartan scarf didn't help. **

"**Very well — go — and don't breathe a word — not that — however, if you didn't read — go now, I have to write up Peeves' report — go —" **

**Amazed at his luck, Harry sped out of the office, up the corridor, and back upstairs. To escape from Filch's office without punishment was probably some kind of school record. **

"That's because it is a school record," Fred stated, snorting at Harry's apparent good luck.

"**Harry! Harry! Did it work?" **

**Nearly Headless Nick came gliding out of a classroom. Behind him, Harry could see the wreckage of a large black-and-gold cabinet that appeared to have been dropped from a great height. **

"Very nice, Nick."

"**I persuaded Peeves to crash it right over Filch's office," said Nick eagerly. "Thought it might distract him —" **

"**Was that you?" said Harry gratefully. "Yeah, it worked, I didn't even get detention. Thanks, Nick!" **

"You're welcome!" Nick interrupted, gliding in and out of the room without a backward glance.

**They set off up the corridor together. Nearly Headless Nick, Harry noticed, was still holding Sir Patrick's rejection letter… **

"**I wish there was something I could do for you about the Headless Hunt," Harry said. Nearly Headless Nick stopped in his tracks and Harry walked right through him. He wished he hadn't; it was like stepping through an icy shower. **

Many people shuddered, hating the familiar feeling.

"**But there **_**is **_**something you could do for me," said Nick excitedly. "Harry — would I be asking too much — but no, you wouldn't want —" **

"**What is it?" said Harry. **

"**Well, this Halloween will be my five hundredth deathday," said Nearly Headless Nick, drawing himself up and looking dignified. **

"**Oh," said Harry, not sure whether he should look sorry or happy about this. "Right." **

"**I'm holding a party down in one of the roomier dungeons. Friends will be coming from all over the country. It would be such an honor if you would attend. Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger would be most welcome, too, of course — but I daresay you'd rather go to the school feast?" He watched Harry on tenterhooks. **

"**No," said Harry quickly, "I'll come —" **

"I really didn't want to go to either, truthfully. It was Halloween, and I'd really not celebrate anything," Harry muttered, crossing his arms as Sirius licked him, trying to comfort him.

"**My dear boy! Harry Potter, at my deathday party! And —" he hesitated, looking excited "— do you think you could possibly mention to Sir Patrick how very frightening and impressive you find me?" **

"**Of — of course," said Harry. **

James snorted, "He'll know Nick told you to tell him, though."

**Nearly Headless Nick beamed at him. **

"**A deathday party?" said Hermione keenly when Harry had changed at last and joined her and Ron in the common room. "I bet there aren't many living people who can say they've been to one of those — it'll be fascinating!" **

"Oh god, I really did like to learn, didn't I?" Hermione snorted.

"**Why would anyone want to celebrate the day they died?" said Ron, who was halfway through his Potions homework and grumpy. "Sounds dead depressing to me…"**

"Oh, it definitely is depressing." Lily muttered.

**Rain was still lashing the windows, which were now inky black, but inside all looked bright and cheerful. The firelight glowed over the countless squashy armchairs where people sat reading, talking, doing homework or, in the case of Fred and George Weasley, trying to find out what would happen if you fed a Filibuster firework to a salamander.**

"Ooh, what happens?" James grinned, inching forward in his seat and clapping his hands in excitement.

**Fred had "rescued" the brilliant orange, fire-dwelling lizard from a Care of Magical Creatures class and it was now smoldering gently on a table surrounded by a knot of curious people. **

"Well, how dull." Lily laughed.

**Harry was at the point of telling Ron and Hermione about Filch and the Kwikspell course when the salamander suddenly whizzed into the air, emitting loud sparks and bangs as it whirled wildly round the room. **

"Apparently not, my sweet Lily-flower," James laughed.

**The sight of Percy bellowing himself hoarse at Fred and George, the spectacular display of tangerine stars showering from the salamander's mouth, and its escape into the fire, with accompanying explosions, drove both Filch and the Kwikspell envelope from Harry's mind. **

"Bloody amazing," Remus laughed.

**By the time Halloween arrived, Harry was regretting his rash promise to go to the deathday party. The rest of the school was happily anticipating their Halloween feast; the Great Hall had been decorated with the usual live bats, Hagrid's vast pumpkins had been carved into lanterns large enough for three men to sit in, and there were rumors that Dumbledore had booked a troupe of dancing skeletons for the entertainment. **

"Oh, just miss it. Say you forgot!" James grinned.

"James! Don't go giving our son ideas on lying!" Lily laughed, a stone's sound away from scolding.

"Yes, because he doesn't lie enough as it is," Snape muttered.

"Oh, stay out of it, you sniveling git!" Lily snapped, suddenly angry.

"Yeah! You give our son enough problems as it is because you can't move on from the past, Snape!" James replied, backing up his wife. Many people in the great hall just opened and closed their mouths in shock, and Harry, who wanted to laugh, nudged Remus to stop the argument before it got out of hand.

"How about we fight about this later?" He interrupted, just as Snape was saying, "Oh yes, because everyone moves on from being nearly killed." The hall had grown quiet, with many eyes wide in shock while James and Sirius growled.

"ENOUGH!" Albus said, causing many to jump in surprise. "Pomona, please continue."

"**A promise is a promise," Hermione reminded Harry bossily. "You said you'd go to the deathday party." **

"She has a point, dear." Lily said, trying to calm herself down.

**So at seven o'clock, Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked straight past the doorway to the packed Great Hall, which was glittering invitingly with gold plates and candles, and directed their steps instead toward the dungeons.**

"Merlin, it was a hard thing to do, too." Ron mumbles.

**The passageway leading to Nearly Headless Nick's party had been lined with candles, too, though the effect was far from cheerful: These were long, thin, jet-black tapers, all burning bright blue, casting a dim, ghostly light even over their own living faces. The temperature dropped with every step they took.**

"Because you were in the dungeons? Or because there were a lot of ghosts?" A second year asked, looking at the trio with a hopeful look on her face.

"Probably both, actually." Hermione replied, her head tilted in though.

**As Harry shivered and drew his robes tightly around him, he heard what sounded like a thousand fingernails scraping an enormous blackboard. **

"Ah, the ghosts version of music." James grimaced, looking over at Sirius, watching his best mate with his head on his son's thigh. He smiles lightly, questions flowing through his brain.

"**Is that supposed to be **_**music**_**?" Ron whispered. They turned a corner and saw Nearly Headless Nick standing at a doorway hung with black velvet drapes. **

"**My dear friends," he said mournfully. "Welcome, welcome… so pleased you could come…" He swept off his plumed hat and bowed them inside. **

"How dramatic," Lily laughed, wrapping James' arms around her shoulders, causing him to grin.

**It was an incredible sight. The dungeon was full of hundreds of pearly-white, translucent people, mostly drifting around a crowded dance floor, waltzing to the dreadful, quavering sound of thirty musical saws, played by an orchestra on a raised, black-draped platform. A chandelier overhead blazed midnight-blue with a thousand more black candles. Their breath rose in a mist before them; it was like stepping into a freezer. **

"Except obviously, it wasn't, because you didn't freeze and turn to ice." Malfoy sneered.

"**Shall we have a look around?" Harry suggested, wanting to warm up his feet. **

"**Careful not to walk through anyone," said Ron nervously, and they set off around the edge of the dance floor. They passed a group of gloomy nuns, a ragged man wearing chains, and the Fat Friar, a cheerful Hufflepuff ghost, who was talking to a knight with an arrow sticking out of his forehead. **

"What a pleasant group," Remus said, smirking.

**Harry wasn't surprised to see that the Bloody Baron, a gaunt, staring Slytherin ghost covered in silver bloodstains, was being given a wide berth by the other ghosts. **

"**Oh, no," said Hermione, stopping abruptly. "Turn back, turn back, I don't want to talk to Moaning Myrtle —" **

"Who?" Many of the boys questioned, while Lily just groaned.

"**Who?" said Harry as they backtracked quickly. **

"That's nice of you dear, because trust me, you want to give Myrtle a _wide_ berth," Lily said, her eyes squinting when she sees the three of them blushing and not looking up.

"Oh dear. What were you involved in with her?"

"**She haunts one of the toilets in the girls' bathroom on the first floor," said Hermione. **

"**She haunts a **_**toilet**_**?" **

"It never did make sense," Molly said, biting her lip.

"**Yes. It's been out-of-order all year because she keeps having tantrums and flooding the place. I never went in there anyway if I could avoid it; it's awful trying to have a pee with her wailing at you —"**

James snorted at the image that presented, while Hermione just giggled and blushed.

"**Look, food!" said Ron. **

**On the other side of the dungeon was a long table, also covered in black velvet. They approached it eagerly but next moment had stopped in their tracks, horrified.**

"Hm, yes, dead food. How appetizing." James muttered, while Sirius barked in agreement.

**The smell was quite disgusting. Large, rotten fish were laid on handsome silver platters; cakes, burned charcoal-black, were heaped on salvers; there was a great maggoty haggis, a slab of cheese covered in furry green mold and, in pride of place, an enormous gray cake in the shape of a tombstone, with tar-like icing forming the words, SIR NICHOLAS DE MIMSY-PORPINGTON DIED 31ST OCTOBER, 1492.**

"Ugh, disgusting." Many people grimaced, cursing Potter's descriptive details once more.

**Harry watched, amazed, as a portly ghost approached the table, crouched low, and walked through it, his mouth held wide so that it passed through one of the stinking salmon. **

"**Can you taste it if you walk though it?" Harry asked him. **

"Not really. Well, normally." Lily said, noticing she had just taken a sip from her goblet. She tilted her head, looked at James, and shrugged, vowing to investigate it later.

"**Almost," said the ghost sadly, and he drifted away. **

"**I expect they've let it rot to give it a stronger flavor," said Hermione knowledgeably, pinching her nose and leaning closer to look at the putrid haggis. **

"**Can we move? I feel sick," said Ron. **

"Ron not wanting—"

"To be near –"

"Food?" The twins stated, grinning.

**They had barely turned around, however, when a little man swooped suddenly from under the table and came to a halt in midair before them. **

"Peeves!"

"**Hello, Peeves," said Harry cautiously. **

**Unlike the ghosts around them, Peeves the Poltergeist was the very reverse of pale and transparent. He was wearing a bright orange party hat, a revolving bow tie, and a broad grin on his wide, wicked face. **

James snorted, shaking his head.

"**Nibbles?" he said sweetly, offering them a bowl of peanuts covered in fungus. **

"**No thanks," said Hermione. **

"**Heard you talking about poor Myrtle," said Peeves, his eyes dancing. "**_**Rude **_**you was about poor Myrtle." He took a deep breath and bellowed, "OY! MYRTLE!" **

"Peeves man, you've gotta stop that." James laughed.

"Potty wotty snotty, no!" Peeves grinned, making James laugh harder.

"That's Potty wotty snotty Sr, to you, Peeves." James said, grinning as Peeves spun away.

"**Oh, no, Peeves, don't tell her what I said, she'll be really upset," Hermione whispered frantically. "I didn't mean it, I don't mind her — er, hello, Myrtle." **

**The squat ghost of a girl had glided over. She had the glummest face Harry had ever seen, half-hidden behind lank hair and thick, pearly spectacles. **

"How attractive. Hey, maybe Snape and her can start a family!" James said, grinning, while everyone laughed and Snape glowered. Even Minerva and Albus had a hard time keeping their laughs quiet.

"What? Imagine the kids!" James laughed.

"**What?" she said sulkily. **

"**How are you, Myrtle?" said Hermione in a falsely bright voice. "It's nice to see you out of the toilet." **

**Myrtle sniffed. **

"**Miss Granger was just talking about you —" said Peeves slyly in Myrtle's ear. "Just saying —" **

"**Just saying — saying — how nice you look tonight," said Hermione, glaring at Peeves. **

**Myrtle eyed Hermione suspiciously. **

"**You're making fun of me," she said, silver tears welling rapidly in her small, see-through eyes. **

"**No — honestly — didn't I just say how nice Myrtle's looking?" said Hermione, nudging Harry and Ron painfully in the ribs. **

"**Oh, yeah —" **

"**She did —"**

"**Don't lie to me," Myrtle gasped, tears now flooding down her face, while Peeves chuckled happily over her shoulder. "D'you think I don't know what people call me behind my back? Fat Myrtle! Ugly Myrtle! Miserable, moaning, moping Myrtle!" **

"Very nice alliteration, Myrtle," Lily laughed.

"More like, 'very nice alliteration, people who came up with it'" James laughed.

"**You've forgotten pimply," Peeves hissed in her ear. Moaning Myrtle burst into anguished sobs and fled from the dungeon. Peeves shot after her, pelting her with moldy peanuts, yelling, "**_**Pimply! Pimply!**_**" **

"**Oh, dear," said Hermione sadly. **

**Nearly Headless Nick now drifted toward them through the crowd. **

"**Enjoying yourselves?" **

"**Oh, yes," they lied. **

"**Not a bad turnout," said Nearly Headless Nick proudly. "The Wailing Widow came all the way up from Kent… It's nearly time for my speech, I'd better go and warn the orchestra…" The orchestra, however, stopped playing at that very moment. They, and everyone else in the dungeon, fell silent, looking around in excitement, as a hunting horn sounded. **

"Oh, c'mon. How rude can the lot of you be?" James muttered, angry for the ghost that had been his friend when he was younger.

"**Oh, here we go," said Nearly Headless Nick bitterly. Through the dungeon wall burst a dozen ghost horses, each ridden by a headless horseman. The assembly clapped wildly; Harry started to clap, too, but stopped quickly at the sight of Nick's face. **

"Oh, how thoughtful of you," James grinned.

**The horses galloped into the middle of the dance floor and halted, rearing and plunging. At the front of the pack was a large ghost who held his bearded head under his arm, from which position he was blowing the horn. The ghost leapt down, lifted his head high in the air so he could see over the crowd (everyone laughed), and strode over to Nearly Headless Nick, squashing his head back onto his neck. **

"Way to be a pompous show off," James snorted, crossing his arms.

"You would know what it takes to be one," Snape replied, while James growled.

"**Nick!" he roared. "How are you? Head still hanging in there?" He gave a hearty guffaw and clapped Nearly Headless Nick on the shoulder. **

"**Welcome, Patrick," said Nick stiffly. **

"**Live 'uns!" said Sir Patrick, spotting Harry, Ron, and Hermione and giving a huge, fake jump of astonishment, so that his head fell off again (the crowd howled with laughter). **

"It wasn't funny at all, actually." Harry said.

"**Very amusing," said Nearly Headless Nick darkly. **

"**Don't mind Nick!" shouted Sir Patrick's head from the floor. "Still upset we won't let him join the Hunt! But I mean to say — look at the fellow —" **

"It was _his_ deathday for merlin's sake, not yours!" Remus muttered.

"**I think," said Harry hurriedly, at a meaningful look from Nick, "Nick's very — frightening and — er —" **

"**Ha!" yelled Sir Patrick's head. "Bet he asked you to say that!" **

"See? Didn't I tell ya!"

"**If I could have everyone's attention, it's time for my speech!" said Nearly Headless Nick loudly, striding toward the podium and climbing into an icy blue spotlight. **

"**My late lamented lords, ladies, and gentlemen, it is my great sorrow…" But nobody heard much more. Sir Patrick and the rest of the Headless Hunt had just started a game of Head Hockey and the crowd were turning to watch. Nearly Headless Nick tried vainly to recapture his audience, but gave up as Sir Patrick's head went sailing past him to loud cheers. **

"That's just rude."

**Harry was very cold by now, not to mention hungry. **

"**I can't stand much more of this," Ron muttered, his teeth chattering, as the orchestra ground back into action and the ghosts swept back onto the dance floor. **

"**Let's go," Harry agreed. They backed toward the door, nodding and beaming at anyone who looked at them, and a minute later were hurrying back up the passageway full of black candles. **

"**Pudding might not be finished yet," said Ron hopefully, leading the way toward the steps to the entrance hall. And then Harry heard it. **

"Oh dear." Lily said, chewing on the inside of her cheek thoughtfully.

"… _**rip**_**… **_**tear**_**… **_**kill**_**…" **

**It was the same voice, the same cold, murderous voice he had heard in Lockhart's office. **

**He stumbled to a halt, clutching at the stone wall, listening with all his might, looking around, squinting up and down the dimly lit passageway. **

"**Harry, what're you —?" **

"**It's that voice again — shut up a minute —" **

"… _**soo hungry**_**… **_**for so long**_**…" **

"**Listen!" said Harry urgently, and Ron and Hermione froze, watching him. **

"… _**kill**_**… **_**time to kill**_**…" **

Hagrid and Minerva flinched, realizing that this must have been the first petrification.

**The voice was growing fainter. Harry was sure it was moving away — moving upward. A mixture of fear and excitement gripped him as he stared at the dark ceiling; how could it be moving upward? Was it a phantom, to whom stone ceilings didn't matter? **

"**This way," he shouted, and he began to run, up the stairs, into the entrance hall. It was no good hoping to hear anything here, the babble of talk from the Halloween feast was echoing out of the Great Hall. Harry sprinted up the marble staircase to the first floor, Ron and Hermione clattering behind him. **

"**Harry, what're we —" **

"**SHH!" **

"You could be a little nicer, son." James said.

"Why? You were the same way when you were set on something," Remus snorted, shaking his head as James blushed.

**Harry strained his ears. Distantly, from the floor above, and growing fainter still, he heard the voice: "… **_**I smell blood**_**… **_**I SMELL BLOOD**_**!" **

**His stomach lurched — **

"I think mines going to lurch, too." Someone muttered.

"**It's going to kill someone!" he shouted, and ignoring Ron's and Hermione's bewildered faces, he ran up the next flight of steps three at a time, trying to listen over his own pounding footsteps — Harry hurtled around the whole of the second floor, Ron and Hermione panting behind him, not stopping until they turned a corner into the last, deserted passage. **

"**Harry, **_**what **_**was that all about?" said Ron, wiping sweat off his face. "I couldn't hear anything…" **

**But Hermione gave a sudden gasp, pointing down the corridor. **

"_**Look!**_**" **

"WHAT?!" Everyone shouted.

**Something was shining on the wall ahead. They approached slowly, squinting through the darkness. Foot-high words had been daubed on the wall between two windows, shimmering in the light cast by the flaming torches. **

_**THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE **_

"Oh no." James said, being completely serious for once.

"**What's that thing — hanging underneath?" said Ron, a slight quiver in his voice. As they edged nearer, Harry almost slipped — there was a large puddle of water on the floor; Ron and Hermione grabbed him, and they inched toward the message, eyes fixed on a dark shadow beneath it. All three of them realized what it was at once, and leapt backward with a splash. **

**Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat, was hanging by her tail from the torch bracket. She was stiff as a board, her eyes wide and staring. **

"Oy!"

**For a few seconds, they didn't move. Then Ron said, "Let's get out of here." **

"**Shouldn't we try and help —" Harry began awkwardly.**

"Trust him, kiddo. You don't want to be found there."

"**Trust me," said Ron. "We don't want to be found here." **

**But it was too late. A rumble, as though of distant thunder, told them that the feast had just ended. From either end of the corridor where they stood came the sound of hundreds of feet climbing the stairs, and the loud, happy talk of well-fed people; next moment, students were crashing into the passage from both ends. **

"This won't be good."

**The chatter, the bustle, the noise died suddenly as the people in front spotted the hanging cat. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood alone, in the middle of the corridor, as silence fell among the mass of students pressing forward to see the grisly sight. Then someone shouted through the quiet. **

"**Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!" **

"DRACO!" Narcissa shouted, tired of her son's behavior.

"Darling, we don't know –" Lucius started

"Oh shut it."

**It was Draco Malfoy. He had pushed to the front of the crowd, his cold eyes alive, his usually bloodless face flushed, as he grinned at the sight of the hanging, immobile cat.**

"He grinned at that sight?" Lily gasped, uncomfortable.

"Death eater in training, no doubt." James started, causing Malfoy to cringe.

"Who wants to read next?" Pomona asked, the book floating away.

"I'll read, Professor." Seamus Finnigan stated, the book going to him.


	29. Chapter 29

"**CHAPTER NINE, The Writing on the Wall**"

"**What's going on here? What's going on?" Attracted no doubt by Malfoy's shout, Argus Filch came shouldering his way through the crowd. Then he saw Mrs. Norris and fell back, clutching his face in horror. **

"Of course." Someone snorted.

"**My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" he shrieked. And his popping eyes fell on Harry. **

"You better not blame my son for something without evidence that he did it." James growled.

"I hate it when people do that." Lily grumbled.

"_**You**_**!" he screeched. "**_**You**_**! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll —" **

"You will not kill my son, you filthy, imbe—"

"_James!_"

"_**Argus**_**!" **

**Dumbledore had arrived on the scene, followed by a number of other teachers. In seconds, he had swept past Harry, Ron, and Hermione and detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket. **

"**Come with me, Argus," he said to Filch. "You, too, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger." **

**Lockhart stepped forward eagerly. **

"This doesn't surprise me at all," James snorted.

"**My office is nearest, Headmaster — just upstairs — please feel free —" **

"**Thank you, Gilderoy," said Dumbledore. The silent crowd parted to let them pass. Lockhart, looking excited and important, hurried after Dumbledore; so did Professors McGonagall and Snape. As they entered Lockhart's darkened office there was a flurry of movement across the walls; Harry saw several of the Lockharts in the pictures dodging out of sight, their hair in rollers. **

"In _rollers_?" Lily laughed, imaging the image that presented rather quickly.

**The real Lockhart lit the candles on his desk and stood back. Dumbledore lay Mrs. Norris on the polished surface and began to examine her. Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged tense looks and sank into chairs outside the pool of candlelight, watching. **

"His office crept me out." Ron muttered, rolling his eyes.

"At least it's not like Umbridge's. All pink and satiny and, eugh." Hermione replied, wrinkling her nose while Ron and Harry laughed.

**The tip of Dumbledore's long, crooked nose was barely an inch from Mrs. Norris's fur. He was looking at her closely through his half-moon spectacles, his long fingers gently prodding and poking. Professor McGonagall was bent almost as close, her eyes narrowed. Snape loomed behind them, half in shadow, wearing a most peculiar expression: It was as though he was trying hard not to smile.**

"I was smiling. I was trying not to let anyone see," Snape muttered under his breath, while Harry snorted and rolled his eyes.

**And Lockhart was hovering around all of them, making suggestions. "It was definitely a curse that killed her — probably the Transmogrifian Torture — I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very countercurse that would have saved her…" **

"Uhm, that's not even a spell, or a curse, or hell, a type of freaking torture!" James groaned, shaking his head, disbelief in this guy written on his face.

**Lockhart's comments were punctuated by Filch's dry, racking sobs. He was slumped in a chair by the desk, unable to look at Mrs. Norris, his face in his hands. Much as he detested Filch, Harry couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for him, though not nearly as sorry as he felt for himself If Dumbledore believed Filch, he would be expelled for sure. **

"Are you honestly always this pessimistic, Harry?" Lily laughed, shaking her head as Harry blushed and looked down.

"Just wait until the next two years," Ron snorts in reply, smirking at his best friend as Harry crosses his arms and pretends to pout, making everyone laugh.

**Dumbledore was now muttering strange words under his breath and tapping Mrs. Norris with his wand but nothing happened. She continued to look as though she had been recently stuffed.**

"Actually, that's very good description for what happened to her, Mr. Potter." Fillius clapped, excitement on his face.

"… **I remember something very similar happening in Ouagadogou," said Lockhart, "a series of attacks, the full story's in my autobiography, I was able to provide the townsfolk with various amulets, which cleared the matter up at once…" **

"It doesn't even sound like a real place—"

"It probably isn't a real place—" The twins stated.

**The photographs of Lockhart on the walls were all nodding in agreement as he talked. One of them had forgotten to remove his hair net. **

Snorts were heard around the room, and eyes were rolled.

**At last Dumbledore straightened up. "She's not dead, Argus," he said softly. Lockhart stopped abruptly in the middle of counting the number of murders he had prevented. **

"Thank merlin for that," James laughed, not wanting to hear any more about this so-called professor.

"**Not dead?" choked Filch, looking through his fingers at Mrs. Norris. "But why's she all — all stiff and frozen?" **

"**She has been Petrified," said Dumbledore ("Ah! I thought so!" said Lockhart).**

"Sure you did, buddy," Remus laughed.

"**But how, I cannot say…" **

"**Ask **_**him**_**!" shrieked Filch, turning his blotched and tearstained face to Harry. **

"Like any second year could have done that to someone or something." Lily sighed, shaking her head in annoyance.

"**No second year could have done this," said Dumbledore firmly. "it would take Dark Magic of the most advanced —" **

"**He did it, he did it!" Filch spat, his pouchy face purpling. "You saw what he wrote on the wall! He found — in my office — he knows I'm a — I'm a —" Filch's face worked horribly. **

"Wow, now you're going to say he wrote the thing about the chamber? You disgust me, Argus Filch." Lily snapped, causing my people to flinch at her anger, despite it being directed at someone other than them.

"**He knows I'm a Squib!" he finished. **

"**I never **_**touched **_**Mrs. Norris!" Harry said loudly, uncomfortably aware of everyone looking at him, including all the Lockharts on the walls. "And I don't even know what a Squib **_**is**_**." **

"Even then you were uncomfortable with people looking at you?" Justin asked, looking at Harry curiously.

"I loathe people looking at me period, the way Snape loathes washing his hair," Harry replied seriously, while many laughed and Snape glowered even more.

"**Rubbish!" snarled Filch. "He saw my Kwikspell letter!" **

"**If I might speak, Headmaster," said Snape from the shadows, and Harry's sense of foreboding increased; he was sure nothing Snape had to say was going to do him any good. **

"Snape never has anything good to say," Remus said wanting to growl at the git, while Snape glared right back.

"**Potter and his friends may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said, a slight sneer curling his mouth as though he doubted it. "But we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why was he in the upstairs corridor at all? Why wasn't he at the Halloween feast?" **

"Maybe it was because he doesn't want to celebrate the day that his parents died, or something?" Harry interrupted, rolling his eyes and glaring at Snape, whose lips curled in memory of the book.

**Harry, Ron and Hermione all launched into an explanation about the deathday party. "… there were hundreds of ghosts, they'll tell you we were there —" **

"**But why not join the feast afterward?" said Snape, his black eyes glittering in the candlelight. "Why go up to that corridor?" Ron and Hermione looked at Harry. **

"**Because — because —" Harry said, his heart thumping very fast; something told him it would sound very far-fetched if he told them he had been led there by a bodiless voice no one but he could hear, "because we were tired and wanted to go to bed," he said. **

"**Without any supper?" said Snape, a triumphant smile flickering across his gaunt face. "I didn't think ghosts provided food fit for living people at their parties." **

"**We weren't hungry," said Ron loudly as his stomach gave a huge rumble. **

"Really, Ronald's stomach, really?" Luna interrupt, making Ron blush with the attention, and Harry to snort at his best friends reaction.

**Snape's nasty smile widened. "I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter is not being entirely truthful," he said. "It might be a good idea if he were deprived of certain privileges until he is ready to tell us the whole story. I personally feel he should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready to be honest." **

"Really, Snape, really? It's not like he was doing anything wrong or against the rules," Lily muttered, rolling her eyes at her so-called old friend.

"**Really, Severus," said Professor McGonagall sharply, "I see no reason to stop the boy playing Quidditch. This cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence at all that Potter has done anything wrong." **

"Thank you, Minnie." Lily said, nodding her head while James laughed.

**Dumbledore was giving Harry a searching look. His twinkling light-blue gaze made Harry feel as though he were being X-rayed. **

"Or having my mind read," Harry muttered.

"You really think so, Harry?"

"Definitely. Something's not right with the old coot, and my parents are way too mad at him for it to be anything else."

"**Innocent until proven guilty, Severus," he said firmly. **

"Harry—"

"We'll prove it 'Mione, we'll prove it."

**Snape looked furious. So did Filch. "My cat has been Petrified!" he shrieked, his eyes popping. "I want to see some **_**punishment**_**!" **

"**We will be able to cure her, Argus," said Dumbledore patiently. "Professor Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs. Norris." **

"**I'll make it," Lockhart butted in. "I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep —" **

"Me thinks the greasy haired git of a potions master won't like that," James sang.

"**Excuse me," said Snape icily. "But I believe I am the Potions master at this school." **

"See?"

**There was a very awkward pause. "You may go," Dumbledore said to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They went, as quickly as they could without actually running. When they were a floor up from Lockhart's office, they turned into an empty classroom and closed the door quietly behind them. Harry squinted at his friends' darkened faces. **

"**D'you think I should have told them about that voice I heard?"**

"No. Definitely not. Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign. Especially in the wizarding world," Remus interrupts, smiling lightly.

"**No," said Ron, without hesitation. "Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, even in the wizarding world." Something in Ron's voice made Harry ask, "You do believe me, don't you?" **

"'**Course I do," said Ron quickly.**

"No he doesn't—"

"We know him—"

"He's our brother—"

"And he definitely was trying hard _to _believe you."

"**But — you must admit it's weird…" **

"**I know it's weird," said Harry. "The whole thing's weird. What was that writing on the wall about? **_**The Chamber Has Been Opened**_**… What's that supposed to mean?" **

"**You know, it rings a sort of bell," said Ron slowly. "I think someone told me a story about a secret chamber at Hogwarts once… might've been Bill…" **

"Merlin Ron, you've really got a horrible memory if you couldn't remember it was _me, Charlie_, who told you."

"**And what on earth's a Squib?" said Harry. **

Many people snorted, surprised that Harry was still thinking about that.

**To his surprise, Ron stifled a snigger. "Well — it's not funny really — but as it's Filch," he said. "A Squib is someone who was born into a wizarding family but hasn't got any magic powers. Kind of the opposite of Muggle-born wizards, but Squibs are quite unusual. If Filch's trying to learn magic from a Kwikspell course, I reckon he must be a Squib. It would explain a lot. Like why he hates students so much." Ron gave a satisfied smile. "He's bitter." **

"It definitely makes sense. Too much sense." Lily nodded her head in agreement.

**A clock chimed somewhere. **

"**Midnight," said Harry. "We'd better get to bed before Snape comes along and tries to frame us for something else." **

"Good idea, mate."

**For a few days, the school could talk of little else but the attack on Mrs. Norris. Filch kept it fresh in everyone's minds by pacing the spot where she had been attacked, as though he thought the attacker might come back. Harry had seen him scrubbing the message on the wall with Mrs. Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover, but to no effect; the words still gleamed as brightly as ever on the stone. When Filch wasn't guarding the scene of the crime, he was skulking red-eyed through the corridors, lunging out at unsuspecting students and trying to put them in detention for things like "breathing loudly' and "looking happy." **

"Why does that not surprise me."

**Ginny Weasley seemed very disturbed by Mrs. Norris's fate. According to Ron, she was a great cat lover. **

"You know, this Weasley is mentioned far too much for my liking," Lily muttered to James, who nodded slowly, wondering why this was so.

"**But you haven't really got to know Mrs. Norris," Ron told her bracingly. "Honestly, we're much better off without her." Ginny's lip trembled.**

"We know now it was because she was feeling guilty," Harry mutters to Hermione, who nods, feeling resent towards the girl slightly.

"**Stuff like this doesn't often happen at Hogwarts," Ron assured her. "They'll catch the maniac who did it and have him out of here in no time. I just hope he's got time to Petrify Filch before he's expelled. I'm only joking —" Ron added hastily as Ginny blanched. **

Ron snorted, realizing now why Ginny blanched, and shook his head.

**The attack had also had an effect on Hermione. It was quite usual for Hermione to spend a lot of time reading, but she was now doing almost nothing else. **

"Well, it threatened to attack muggleborns, and being a muggleborn, I was actually very worried about my welfare," Hermione replied, crossing her arms.

"And with good reason, too." Harry replied bitterly.

**Nor could Harry and Ron get much response from her when they asked what she was up to, and not until the following Wednesday did they find out. Harry had been held back in Potions, where Snape had made him stay behind to scrape tubeworms off the desks. **

"WHY? DID HE DO ANYTHING THAT CAUSED THAT, SNAPE? OR WERE YOU HOLDING A GRUDGE AGAIN?" James growled while Lily shouted, glaring at Snape, who flinched back.

**After a hurried lunch, he went upstairs to meet Ron in the library, and saw Justin Finch-Fletchley, the Hufflepuff boy from Herbology, coming toward him. Harry had just opened his mouth to say hello when Justin caught sight of him, turned abruptly, and sped off in the opposite direction. **

"Now why?" James questioned, while Justin flinched, remembering the day.

**Harry found Ron at the back of the library, measuring his History of Magic homework. Professor Binns had asked for a three foot long composition on "The Medieval Assembly of European Wizards." **

"I remember that composition." James grimaced

"**I don't believe it, I'm still eight inches short said Ron furiously, letting go of his parchment, which sprang back into a roll. "And Hermione's done four feet seven inches and her writing's tiny." **

"I have a lot to say," Hermione shrugged, grinning.

"**Where is she?" asked Harry, grabbing the tape measure and unrolling his own homework. **

"**Somewhere over there," said Ron, pointing along the shelves. "Looking for another book. I think she's trying to read the whole library before Christmas." **

"That's impossible. With over thousands and thousands of books, and so many aisles of –"

"Hermione!" Ron interrupted, laughing.

**Harry told Ron about Justin Finch-Fletchley running away from him. **

"**Dunno why you care. I thought he was a bit of an idiot," said Ron, scribbling away, making his writing as large as possible.**

"Hey!" Justin shouted.

"Well, you gotta admit," Ron shrugged.

"**All that junk about Lockhart being so great —" Hermione emerged from between the bookshelves. She looked irritable and at last seemed ready to talk to them. **

"**All the copies of **_**Hogwarts, A History **_**have been taken out," she said, sitting down next to Harry and Ron. "And there's a two-week waiting list. I **_**wish **_**I hadn't left my copy at home, but I couldn't fit it in my trunk with all the Lockhart books." **

"I should buy you a large trunk," James interrupted, smiling at the girl, while everyone looked on in shock.

"What?" James asked, confused, while Lily laughed.

"**Why do you want it?" said Harry. **

"**The same reason everyone else wants it," said Hermione, "to read up on the legend of the Chamber of Secrets." **

"**What's that?" said Harry quickly. **

"Ugh,"

"**That's just it. I can't remember," said Hermione, biting her lip. "And I can't find the story anywhere else —" **

"**Hermione, let me read your composition," said Ron desperately, checking his watch. **

"Ron Weasley, don't you dare!"

"**No, I won't," said Hermione, suddenly severe. "You've had ten days to finish it —" **

"Exactly. Prioritize. It's how I was able to prank and keep up my grades!" James said.

"And by asking me for help," Remus smirked.

"Only with potions, man. Just Potions." James grumbled.

"**I only need another two inches, come on —" The bell rang. Ron and Hermione led the way to History of Magic, bickering. **

"So that's when it started!" Ginny giggled, drawing a heart around the two of them with her wand while they looked at her, then the heart, then grimaced.

"Ginny, I don't know how—"

"This could be put any more—"

"Simply, but –"

"Hermione is crushing on Harry—"

"Not our brother." George finished, smirking at his sister, watching her grimace and turn red when everyone laughed.

**History of Magic was the dullest subject on their schedule. Professor Binns, who taught it, was their only ghost teacher, and the most exciting thing that ever happened in his classes was his entering the room through the blackboard.**

"Well, I never—"

"You know it's true, Cuthbert." Minerva interrupted, not wanting to hear the ghost go on about it.

**Ancient and shriveled, many people said he hadn't noticed he was dead.**

"Of course I noticed. How could I not, what with the process?"

**He had simply got up to teach one day and left his body behind him in an armchair in front of the staff room fire; his routine had not varied in the slightest since. Today was as boring as ever. Professor Binns opened his notes and began to read in a flat drone like an old vacuum cleaner until nearly everyone in the class was in a deep stupor, occasionally coming to long enough to copy down a name or date, then falling asleep again. He had been speaking for half an hour when something happened that had never happened before. Hermione put up her hand. **

"Are you –"

"FOR THE LOVE OF MERLIN GEORGE, DO NOT SAY 'SERIOUS'" Harry interrupted, feeling his godfather get ready to bark and just wanting to relax against him. George grinned, and everyone who knew what Harry meant laughed, while everyone else looked on in confusion.

**Professor Binns, glancing up in the middle of a deadly dull lecture on the International Warlock Convention of 1289, looked amazed. **

"**Miss — er —?" **

"Seriously Cuthbert, you didn't even know your own students names?"

"**Granger, Professor. I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets," said Hermione in a clear voice. **

**Dean Thomas, who had been sitting with his mouth hanging open, gazing out of the window, jerked out of his trance; Lavender Brown's head came up off her arms and Neville Longbottom's elbow slipped off his desk. **

**Professor Binns blinked. **

"I think anyone would've blinked, dearie."

"**My subject is History of Magic," he said in his dry, wheezy voice. "I deal with **_**facts**_**, Miss Granger, not myths and legends." He cleared his throat with a small noise like chalk slipping and continued, "In September of that year, a subcommittee of Sardinian sorcerers —" **

**He stuttered to a halt. Hermione's hand was waving in the air again. **

"**Miss Grant?" **

"**Please, sir, don't legends always have a basis in fact?" Professor Binns was looking at her in such amazement, Harry was sure no student had ever interrupted him before, alive or dead. **

"No, many people have."

"**Well," said Professor Binns slowly, "yes, one could argue that, I suppose." He peered at Hermione as though he had never seen a student properly before. "However, the legend of which you speak is such a very **_**sensational**_**, even **_**ludicrous **_**tale —" But the whole class was now hanging on Professor Binns's every word. He looked dimly at them all, every face turned to his. Harry could tell he was completely thrown by such an unusual show of interest. **

"**Oh, very well," he said slowly. "Let me see… the Chamber of Secrets…"**

"**You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago — the precise date is uncertain — by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution." **

**He paused, gazed blearily around the room, and continued. **

"**For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more **_**selective **_**about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school." **

**Professor Binns paused again, pursing his lips, looking like a wrinkled old tortoise. **

"Not attractive, mate."

"**Reliable historical sources tell us this much," he said. "But these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing. **

"**Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic." **

**There was silence as he finished telling the story, but it wasn't the usual, sleepy silence that filled Professor Binns's classes. There was unease in the air as everyone continued to watch him, hoping for more. Professor Binns looked faintly annoyed. **

"**The whole thing is arrant nonsense, of course," he said. "Naturally, the school has been searched for evidence of such a chamber, many times, by the most learned witches and wizards. It does not exist. A tale told to frighten the gullible." **

**Hermione's hand was back in the air. **

"**Sir — what exactly do you mean by the 'horror within' the Chamber?" **

"**That is believed to be some sort of monster, which the Heir of Slytherin alone can control," said Professor Binns in his dry, reedy voice. **

**The class exchanged nervous looks. **

As did many of the students in the great hall. The older students, who knew about this year, were curious though, to see what caused the panic everyone felt.

"**I tell you, the thing does not exist," said Professor Binns, shuffling his notes. "There is no Chamber and no monster." **

"**But, sir," said Seamus Finnigan, "if the Chamber can only be opened by Slytherin's true heir, no one else **_**would **_**be able to find it, would they?" **

"**Nonsense, O'Flaherty," said Professor Binns in an aggravated tone. "If a long succession of Hogwarts headmasters and headmistresses haven't found the thing —" **

"**But, Professor," piped up Parvati Patil, "you'd probably have to use Dark Magic to open it —" **

"**Just because a wizard **_**doesn't **_**use Dark Magic doesn't mean he **_**can't**_**, Miss Pennyfeather," snapped Professor Binns. "I repeat, if the likes of Dumbledore —" **

"**But maybe you've got to be related to Slytherin, so Dumbledore couldn't —" began Dean Thomas, but Professor Binns had had enough. **

"**That will do," he said sharply. "It is a myth! It does not exist! There is not a shred of evidence that Slytherin ever built so much as a secret broom cupboard! I regret telling you such a foolish story! We will return, if you please, to **_**history**_**, to solid, believable, verifiable **_**fact**_**!" And within five minutes, the class had sunk back into its usual torpor. **

"Well, now it's fact." Hermione muttered, stretching her legs, "Professor, do you think maybe we can sit in couches? Sitting in these tables for most of the day is really tiring." Many people nodded.

"Well—"

"And when its time to eat, well, we can change back to tables, or, just use the old, 'wish what you want' spell for food."

After a few minutes, Albus nodded his head, and with a wave of his wand, the tables were replaced with couches. Many people stayed sitting beside the people they sat next to at the table, and Hermione grinned, as did Harry, who snuggled up to Sirius, who had decided to lie on his stomach,

"**I always knew Salazar Slytherin was a twisted old loony," Ron told Harry and Hermione as they fought their way through the teeming corridors at the end of the lesson to drop off their bags before dinner. "But I never knew he started all this pure-blood stuff. I wouldn't be in his house if you paid me. Honestly, if the Sorting Hat had tried to put me in Slytherin, I'd've got the train straight back home…" **

"Well, he didn't actually _start_ the pureblood stuff. He just

**Hermione nodded fervently, but Harry didn't say anything. His stomach had just dropped unpleasantly. **

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said, hugging him lightly while he blushed.

"C'mon mate, you know we're not like that." Ron replied, clapping his back. Harry just smiled.

**Harry had never told Ron and Hermione that the Sorting Hat had seriously considered putting **_**him **_**in Slytherin. He could remember, as though it were yesterday -**

"Because it _was_ just yesterday!" Charlie grinned, while Bill laughed.

**- the small voice that had spoken in his ear when he'd placed the hat on his head a year before**_**: You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin would help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that**_**… **

**But Harry, who had already heard of Slytherin House's reputation for turning out Dark wizards, had thought desperately, Not Slytherin! and the hat had said, **_**Oh, well, if you're sure**_**… **_**better be Gryffindor**_**… **

**As they were shunted along in the throng, Colin Creevy went past. **

"**Hiya, Harry!"**

"**Hullo, Colin," said Harry automatically. **

"**Harry — Harry — a boy in my class has been saying you're —" **

"Saying he's _what_?" James growled, not liking where that sentence could be going.

**But Colin was so small he couldn't fight against the tide of people bearing him toward the Great Hall; they heard him squeak, "See you, Harry!" and he was gone. **

"**What's a boy in his class saying about you?" Hermione wondered. **

"**That I'm Slytherin's heir, I expect," said Harry, his stomach dropping another inch or so as he suddenly remembered the way Justin Finch-Fletchley had run away from him at lunchtime. **

"Oh, as if. Did all of you forget that Hermione's his best friend? That his mother is a muggleborn?" Lily hissed, while people backed away.

"**People here'll believe anything," said Ron in disgust. **

Ron's eyes went wide, while he remembered the previous year. "Uh, yeah, sorry about last year, mate." Ron said silently, while Harry just snorted and shook his head, smiling.

**The crowd thinned and they were able to climb the next staircase without difficulty. **

"**D'you **_**really **_**think there's a Chamber of Secrets?" Ron asked Hermione. **

"**I don't know," she said, frowning. "Dumbledore couldn't cure Mrs. Norris, and that makes me think that whatever attacked her might not be — well — human." As she spoke, they turned a corner and found themselves at the end of the very corridor where the attack had happened. They stopped and looked. The scene was just as it had been that night, except that there was no stiff cat hanging from the torch bracket, and an empty chair stood against the wall bearing the message "The Chamber of Secrets has been Opened." **

"**That's where Filch has been keeping guard," Ron muttered. **

**They looked at each other. The corridor was deserted. **

"**Can't hurt to have a poke around," said Harry, dropping his bag and getting to his hands and knees so that he could crawl along, searching for clues. **

"But if someone comes by, that could look really bad for you!" Remus stated,

"**Scorch marks!" he said. "Here — and here —" **

"**Come and look at this!" said Hermione. "This is funny…" **

**Harry got up and crossed to the window next to the message on the wall. Hermione was pointing at the topmost pane, where around twenty spiders were scuttling, apparently fighting to get through a small crack.**

"Why would spiders – that many – be fighting to get away?"

**A long, silvery thread was dangling like a rope, as though they had all climbed it in their hurry to get outside. **

"**Have you ever seen spiders act like that?" said Hermione wonderingly. **

"**No," said Harry, "have you, Ron? Ron?" **

**He looked over his shoulder. Ron was standing well back and seemed to be fighting the impulse to run. **

The twins grimaced, and their mother glared.

"**What's up?" said Harry. **

"**I — don't — like — spiders," said Ron tensely. **

"**I never knew that," said Hermione, looking at Ron in surprise. "You've used spiders in Potions loads of times…" **

"**I don't mind them dead," said Ron, who was carefully looking anywhere but at the window. "I just don't like the way they move…" **

**Hermione giggled. **

Hermione giggled once more, while Ron fake glared.

"**It's not funny," said Ron, fiercely. "If you must know, when I was three, Fred turned my — my teddy bear into a great big filthy spider because I broke his toy broomstick… You wouldn't like them either if you'd been holding your bear and suddenly it had too many legs and…" **

Lily grimaced, while James was torn between grimacing himself, and laughing.

**He broke off, shuddering. Hermione was obviously still trying not to laugh. Feeling they had better get off the subject, Harry said, "Remember all that water on the floor? Where did that come from? Someone's mopped it up." **

"**It was about here," said Ron, recovering himself to walk a few paces past Filch's chair and pointing. "Level with this door." **

**He reached for the brass doorknob but suddenly withdrew his hand as though he'd been burned. **

"Why?" James asked while the females giggled.

"**What's the matter?" said Harry. **

"**Can't go in there," said Ron gruffly. "That's a girls' toilet." **

"Ah."

"**Oh, Ron, there won't be anyone in there," said Hermione standing up and coming over. "That's Moaning Myrtle's place. Come on, let's have a look." And ignoring the large OUT OF ORDER sign, she opened the door. **

**It was the gloomiest, most depressing bathroom Harry had ever set foot in. Under a large, cracked, and spotted mirror were a row of chipped sinks. The floor was damp and reflected the dull light given off by the stubs of a few candles, burning low in their holders; the wooden doors to the stalls were flaking and scratched and one of them was dangling off its hinges. **

**Hermione put her fingers to her lips and set off toward the end stall. When she reached it she said, "Hello, Myrtle, how are you?" **

**Harry and Ron went to look. Moaning Myrtle was floating above the tank of the toilet, picking a spot on her chin. **

"**This is a **_**girls' **_**bathroom," she said, eyeing Ron and Harry suspiciously. "**_**They're **_**not girls." **

"**No," Hermione agreed. "I just wanted to show them how er — nice it is in here." **

**She waved vaguely at the dirty old mirror and the damp floor. **

"**Ask her if she saw anything," Harry mouthed at Hermione. **

"Never whisper in front of her, mate."

"**What are you whispering?" said Myrtle, staring at him. **

"**Nothing," said Harry quickly. "We wanted to ask —" **

"**I wish people would stop talking behind my back!" said Myrtle, in a voice choked with tears. "I **_**do **_**have feelings, you know, even if I **_**am **_**dead —" **

"**Myrtle, no one wants to upset you," said Hermione. "Harry only —" **

"**No one wants to upset me! That's a good one!" howled Myrtle. "My life was nothing but misery at this place and now people come along ruining my death!" **

"I can never believe someone would think Hogwarts as the most miserable place ever!" Harry said, surprised.

"**We wanted to ask you if you've seen anything funny lately," said Hermione quickly. "Because a cat was attacked right outside your front door on Halloween."  
**

"**Did you see anyone near here that night?" said Harry. **

"**I wasn't paying attention," said Myrtle dramatically. "Peeves upset me so much I came in here and tried to **_**kill **_**myself. Then, of course, I remembered that I'm — that I'm —" **

James snorted and shook his head, trying his hardest not to laugh.

"**Already dead," said Ron helpfully. **

**Myrtle gave a tragic sob, rose up in the air, turned over, and dived headfirst into the toilet, splashing water all over them and vanishing from sight, although from the direction of her muffled sobs, she had come to rest somewhere in the U-bend. **

**Harry and Ron stood with their mouths open, but Hermione shrugged wearily and said, **

"**Honestly, that was almost cheerful for Myrtle… Come on, let's go." **

**Harry had barely closed the door on Myrtle's gurgling sobs when a loud voice made all three of them jump. **

"**RON!" **

**Percy Weasley had stopped dead at the head of the stairs, prefect badge agleam, an expression of complete shock on his face. **

"**That's a **_**girls' **_**bathroom!" he gasped. "What were **_**you **_**—?" **

"**Just having a look around," Ron shrugged. "Clues, you know —" Percy swelled in a manner that reminded Harry forcefully of Mrs. Weasley. **

"**Get — away — from — there —" Perry said, striding toward them and starting to bustle them along, flapping his arms. "Don't you **_**care **_**what this looks like? Coming back here while everyone's at dinner —" **

"**Why shouldn't we be here?" said Ron hotly, stopping short and glaring at Percy. "Listen, we never laid a finger on that cat!" **

"**That's what I told Ginny," said Percy fiercely, "but she still seems to think you're going to be expelled, I've never seen her so upset, crying her eyes out, you might think of **_**her**_**, all the first years are thoroughly overexcited by this business —" **

"_**You **_**don't care about Ginny," said Ron, whose ears were now reddening. "**_**You're **_**just worried I'm going to mess up your chances of being Head Boy —" **

"And it was true, too!" Ron muttered.

"**Five points from Gryffindor!"**

"Did he just—" James gasped, absolutely shocked.

"Not like I didn't take points from you guys," Remus said.

"Yeah, but you're not our brothers – blood, of course!" James said, still shocked.

**Percy said tersely, fingering his prefect badge. "And I hope it teaches you a lesson! No more **_**detective work**_**, or I'll write to Mum!" And he strode off, the back of his neck as red as Ron's ears. Harry, Ron, and Hermione chose seats as far as possible from Percy in the common room that night. Ron was still in a very bad temper and kept blotting his Charms homework. When he reached absently for his wand to remove the smudges, it ignited the parchment. Fuming almost as much as his homework, Ron slammed **_**The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 **_**shut. To Harry's surprise, Hermione followed suit.  
**

"**Who can it be, though?" she said in a quiet voice, as though continuing a conversation they had just been having. "Who'd want to frighten all the Squibs and Muggle-borns out of Hogwart's?" **

"**Let's think," said Ron in mock puzzlement. "Who do we know who thinks Muggle-borns are scum?" **

**He looked at Hermione. Hermione looked back, unconvinced. **

"**If you're talking about Malfoy —" **

"**Of course I am!" said Ron. "You heard him — 'You'll be next, Mudbloods!'— come on, you've only got to look at his foul rat face to know it's him —" **

"Malfoy, the Heir of Slytherin?" Lily chortled, giggling.

"**Malfoy, the Heir of Slytherin?" said Hermione skeptically. **

"**Look at his family," said Harry, closing his books, too. "The whole lot of them have been in Slytherin; he's always boasting about it. They could easily be Slytherin's descendants. His father's definitely evil enough." **

"**They could've had the key to the Chamber of Secrets for centuries!" said Ron. "Handing it down, father to son…" **

"**Well," said Hermione cautiously, "I suppose it's possible…" **

"**But how do we prove it?" said Harry darkly. **

"**There might be a way," said Hermione slowly, dropping her voice still further with a quick glance across the room at Percy. "Of course, it would be difficult. And dangerous, very dangerous. We'd be breaking about fifty school rules, I expect —"**

"And so many wizarding rules!" Hermione giggled, kicking her feet in excitement.

"**If, in a month or so, you feel like explaining, you will let us know, won't you?" said Ron irritably. **

"**All right," said Hermione coldly. "What we'd need to do is to get inside the Slytherin common room and ask Malfoy a few questions without him realizing it's us." **

"But how?" Many people asked, while Ron and Harry just smirked.

"**But that's impossible," Harry said as Ron laughed. **

"**No, it's not," said Hermione. "All we'd need would be some Polyjuice Potion." **

"Ooh, if they make that, it would be _so_ incredible. That's such a mature potion!" Lily gasped, excited. Snape however, growled, realizing that it had been Potter who stole from him.

"**What's that?" said Ron and Harry together. **

"**Snape mentioned it in class a few weeks ago —" **

"Do you think they'd actually listen to that git?" James laughed.

"**D'you think we've got nothing better to do in Potions than listen to Snape?" muttered Ron. **

"**It transforms you into somebody else. Think about it! We could change into three of the Slytherins. No one would know it was us. Malfoy would probably tell us anything. He's probably boasting about it in the Slytherin common room right now, if only we could hear him." **

"**This Polyjuice stuff sounds a bit dodgy to me," said Ron, frowning. "What if we were stuck looking like three of the Slytherins forever?" **

"**It wears off after a while," said Hermione, waving her hand impatiently. "But getting hold of the recipe will be very difficult. Snape said it was in a book called Most Potente Potions and it's bound to be in the Restricted Section of the library." There was only one way to get out a book from the Restricted Section: You needed a signed note of permission from a teacher. **

"Not me!" Lily boasted.

"But how?" Hermione gasped, inching forward in excitement.

"Oh, the teachers – all of them, mind you – have to trust you completely not to abuse the power. And you need excellent grades, but of course, you'd get a pass for all seven years to use any book from the section – appropriately, of course – with no teacher approval!" Lily finished, clapping when she noticed that Hermione was jumping up and down in excitement.

"Professor?" Hermione said, looking over to Minerva, who only sighed.

"Miss Granger, I wanted to give you that pass in your first year. However, a certain – git –" Minerva said, glaring at Snape, "Kept saying you weren't trusted." She finished, while Hermione deflated in disappointment.

"And it's absolutely true, from the proof we get from reading these!" Snape drawled.

"Minnie, can I give Hermione my pass?" Lily said, producing it out of nowhere.

"Of course!" Minerva smirked, while Snape sighed and Hermione squeeled.

"**Hard to see why we'd want the book, really," said Ron, "if we weren't going to try and make one of the potions." "I think," said Hermione, "that if we made it sound as though we were just interested in the theory, we might stand a chance… **

"**Oh, come on, no teacher's going to fall for that," said Ron. "They'd have to be really thick…"**

"I KNOW THE PERFECT PROFESSOR!" James grinned, while everyone laughed.

"Who wants to read next?" Seamus questioned.

"I'll do it." Dean said from next to him.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hey guys, thanks for reading the past four chapters! Hope you enjoyed! My next update will be early Wednesday morning, because I have to make my college timetable that morning, so I'll be on the computer then anyways. Until then, Jamie.


	30. Chapter 30

**Authors Note: **I'm sorry to say it's only one chapter, but my longest one yet. Enjoy.

* * *

"**CHAPTER TEN, The Rogue Bludger"**

"How can a bludger be rogue?"

"It better not be going after my son!"

"Odds are, it is."

**Since the disastrous episode of the pixies, Professor Lockhart had not brought live creatures to class. **

"Oh, thank goodness!"

**Instead, he read passages from his books to them, and sometimes reenacted some of the more dramatic bits. **

"You're freaking kidding me ri—"

"Surely he's not tha-"

"Oh for Merlin's sake!"

**He usually picked Harry to help him with these reconstructions; **

"Oy, leave my baby alone!" Lily pouted, while Harry blushed, not being use to terms of endearments.

- **so far, Harry had been forced to play a simple Transylvanian villager whom Lockhart had cured of a Babbling Curse, a yeti with a head cold, and a vampire who had been unable to eat anything except lettuce since Lockhart had dealt with him. **

James snorted and shook his head, not trusting himself to actually speak.

**Harry was hauled to the front of the class during their very next Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, this time acting a werewolf.**

"I felt like such a fu—"

"Harry!"

"Freaking! Freaking tool!" He finished, smirking.

**If he hadn't had a very good reason for keeping Lockhart in a good mood, he would have refused to do it. **

"**Nice loud howl, Harry — exactly — and then, if you'll believe it, I pounced"**

"That's not actually possible, because werewolves can outrun humans, especially one like you, Lockhart," Remus interrupted, seemingly bored.

" — **like this — slammed him to the floor — thus with one hand, I managed to hold him down"**

"Also impossible, because the werewolf would've attacked you as soon as you held him down."

"— **with my other, I put my wand to his throat — I then screwed up my remaining strength and performed the immensely complex Homorphus Charm"**

"Not even an actual charm," Lily laughed, before Remus could.

" **- he let out a piteous moan — go on, Harry — higher than that — good — the fur vanished — the fangs shrank — and he turned back into a man. Simple, yet effective — and another village will remember me forever as the hero who delivered them from the monthly terror of werewolf attacks." **

Remus, plus many others, snorted, shocked that they believed anything this guy said.

**The bell rang and Lockhart got to his feet. "Homework — compose a poem about my defeat of the Wagga Wagga Werewolf! Signed copies of Magical Me to the author of the best one!"**

"THE WHAT?" James laughed, slapping his thigh. "Remus, that's not actually a-?"

"No James, it's not." Remus chuckled, shaking his head.

**The class began to leave. Harry returned to the back of the room, where Ron and Hermione were waiting. **

"Why are you guys waiting?"

"I'd want to get out of there as soon as possible, man."

"**Ready?" Harry muttered. **

"But for what?" A first year moaned.

"Well, duh." A seventh year Slytherin replied, rolling her eyes.

"**Wait till everyone's gone," said Hermione nervously. "All right…" She approached Lockhart's desk, a piece of paper clutched tightly in her hand, Harry and Ron right behind her. **

"Very brave boys, very brave," Minerva said, stunning the room into silence at her sarcasm.

"**Er — Professor Lockhart?" Hermione stammered. "I wanted to — to get this book out of the library. Just for background reading." She held out the piece of paper, her hand shaking slightly. **

"Hermione, _why_ was your hand shaking, exactly?" Fred asked, smirking at the female.

"Well – uh, you – uh, see. Uhm—" Hermione began, blushing furiously.

"She was one of those girls who had a major crush on the guy," Harry interrupted, grinning madly, while Hermione continued to blush.

"Harry!" She groaned, while everyone laughed.

"I'm going to tease you forever about this, 'Mione. Better get used to it now."

"**But the thing is, it's in the Restricted Section of the library, so I need a teacher to sign for it — I'm sure it would help me understand what you say in Gadding with Ghouls about slow-acting venoms."**

"Why is it always the girl who knows how to get to an adult?" James grinned, shaking his head.

"**Ah, Gadding with Ghouls!" said Lockhart, taking the note from Hermione and smiling widely at her. "Possibly my very favorite book. You enjoyed it?"**

"Are you not even going to _look_ at what the sheet says?" Minerva interrupted, shocked and appalled.

"**Oh, yes," said Hermione eagerly. "So clever, the way you trapped that last one with the tea-strainer —" **

James snorted, "Only you, Hermione."

"**Well, I'm sure no one will mind me giving the best student of the year a little extra help," said Lockhart warmly, and he pulled out an enormous peacock quill.**

"Like the best student of _her_ year would _need_ any help," Harry interrupted a glare on his face. Hermione smiled at him, while Ginny glared at him for standing up for the geek.

"**Yes, nice, isn't it?" he said, misreading the revolted look on Ron's face. "I usually save it for book-signings." **

**He scrawled an enormous loopy signature on the note and handed it back to Hermione. **

"Loopy signature? This guy is loopy."

"**So, Harry," said Lockhart, while Hermione folded the note with fumbling fingers and slipped it into her bag.**

"He doesn't want to talk to you, Loopy Lockhart," Ginny snarled, while everyone looked at her in confusion.

"**Tomorrow's the first Quidditch match of the season, I believe? Gryffindor against Slytherin, is it not? I hear you're a useful player."**

"A _USEFUL_ player? Why I oughta tell you how useful he truly—"

"_James!" _Remus interrupted, not wanting his friend to get into this.

"**I was a Seeker, too."**

"Uhm, not you fucking—"

"JAMES!"

"Weren't you bloody freaking liar!"

"**I was asked to try for the National Squad,"**

"They probably didn't want you, you sli—" James started, only to be silenced by his wife, who was smirking at him.

"**- but preferred to dedicate my life to the eradication of the Dark Forces. Still, if ever you feel the need for a little private training, don't hesitate to ask."**

Because he was still silent, the only thing James could actually do was stand up angrily and bang on the table while trying to shout, making everyone laugh at him, except for Snape.

"More proof to show he's just a spoilt, petulant, brat who won't grow up," Snape grumbled, rolling his eyes. James, having heard this, immediately stopped, and glared at the git.

"**Always happy to pass on my expertise to less able players…" **

Snorts were heard around the room, James' included, as Lily unsilenced him.

**Harry made an indistinct noise in his throat and then hurried off after Ron and Hermione. **

"How you even lasted that long is surprising," Remus grumbled.

"**I don't believe it," he said as the three of them examined the signature on the note. "He didn't even look at the book we wanted." **

"Thank you, Mr. Potter." Minerva nodded her head stubbornly.

"**That's because he's a brainless git," said Ron. "But who cares, we've got what we needed—" **

"**He is not a brainless git," said Hermione shrilly as they half ran toward the library.**

Many people groaned at this and shook their heads, while Hermione blushed some more.

"**Just because he said you were the best student of the year —" They dropped their voices as they entered the muffled stillness of the library. Madam Pince, the librarian, was a thin, irritable woman who looked like an underfed vulture. **

"Oh god, Harry, my son, you should be a writer." James laughed.

"Maybe he is? Maybe he wrote these?" Luna said, staring off into space while everyone stared at her.

"No way in Merlin's Beard did I write this," Harry snorted, his eyes wide while Sirius barked, having a feeling he did.

"**Moste Potente Potions?" she repeated suspiciously, trying to take the note from Hermione; but Hermione wouldn't let go. **

"At least she was suspicious." A Ravenclaw muttered.

"**I was wondering if I could keep it," she said breathlessly. **

"HERMIONE!" Everyone interrupted, while Hermione blushed even more than before.

"**Oh, come on," said Ron, wrenching it from her grasp and thrusting it at Madam Pince. "We'll get you another autograph. Lockhart'll sign anything if it stands still long enough." **

"Amen, brother." Fred grinned.

**Madam Pince held the note up to the light, as though determined to detect a forgery, but it passed the test. **

"Well, yeah, you don't know how many times your dad and godfather tried to forge a note into the Restricted Section. Merlin, one time, James stole my special pass, then found a spell to make him look like me," Lily laughed, while James blushed and Sirius barked.

"It was hilarious!" She finished, clapping her hands.

**She stalked away between the lofty shelves and returned several minutes later carrying a large and moldy-looking book.**

"Awh, they can't go in there themselves?" Many people groaned.

**Hermione put it carefully into her bag and they left, trying not to walk too quickly or look too guilty. **

"Which technically, you didn't need to worry about. You had a professors permission—"

"It was the fact that I lied to get it," Hermione interrupted, comfortable enough to do so to Harry's father, who just grinned.

**Five minutes later, they were barricaded in Moaning Myrtle's out-of-order bathroom once again. Hermione had overridden Ron's objections by pointing out that it was the last place anyone in their right minds would go, so they were guaranteed some privacy. **

"She has a point, though."

**Moaning Myrtle was crying noisily in her stall, but they were ignoring her, and she them. **

"Well, no wonder many people don't like her, then."

**Hermione opened Moste Potente Potions carefully, and the three of them bent over the damp-spotted pages.**

"Ugh," Many people muttered.

**It was clear from a glance why it belonged in the Restricted Section. Some of the potions had effects almost too gruesome to think about, and there were some very unpleasant illustrations, which included a man who seemed to have been turned inside out and a witch sprouting several extra pairs of arms out of her head. **

"Oh, those are horrible potions. Never try them," Lily grimaced, while Hermione looked on in awe.

"**Here it is," said Hermione excitedly as she found the page headed **_**The Polyjuice Potion**_**. **

"Can't believe they're going to do something illegal,"

"Trust us, our illegal activities worsen with each year," Hermione snorts, giggling, while everyone else just stares in shock, and Sirius barks.

**It was decorated with drawings of people halfway through transforming into other people. Harry sincerely hoped the artist had imagined the looks of intense pain on their faces. **

"Nope, definitely not Potter." Snape drawled, while Harry just chose to ignore him.

"**This is the most complicated potion I've ever seen," said Hermione as they scanned the recipe. **

"Does that mean you can't do it?" Many questioned, while Hermione just looked affronted.

"**Lacewing flies, leeches, fluxweed, and knotgrass," she murmured, running her finger down the list of ingredients. "Well, they're easy enough, they're in the student store-cupboard, we can help ourselves… Oooh, look, powdered horn of a bicorn — don't know where we're going to get that — shredded skin of a boomslang — that'll be tricky, too and of course a bit of whoever we want to change into." **

"Huh?" Many people shouted.

"**Excuse me?" said Ron sharply. "What d'you mean, a bit of whoever we're changing into? I'm drinking nothing with Crabbe's toenails in it —" **

"Ugh, that's just disgusting, Ronald." Ginny mutters.

**Hermione continued as though she hadn't heard him. "We don't have to worry about that yet, though, because we add those bits last…" **

**Ron turned, speechless, to Harry, who had another worry. **

"**D'you realize how much we're going to have to steal, Hermione? Shredded skin of a boomslang, that's definitely not in the students' cupboard. What're we going to do, break into Snape's private stores? I don't know if this is a good idea…" **

"Awh, c'mon son!"

"Are you actually condoning that sort of behavior?" Molly gasped, her eyes wide with shock. The whole hall went quiet at that, and Harry could feel Sirius growling at her, and wrapped his arms around him, knowing that questioning Sirius' parenting skills was not fine, but better than questioning Harry's parent's parenting skills. James' face had immediately gone from full of laughter and fun, to completely serious, as did Lily's, who also happened to be glaring at the red-head lightly.

"While it is none of your business, Molly," James begins, in a voice that makes everyone remain quiet, and some shiver, "I would not actually be happy or proud if my son decided to steal from someone, unless it was stolen from him first. I _can_ and _do _know the difference between joking around, and being serious in my role as a parent, despite the fact that I've been dead for fourteen of those years," James finishes, nearly snarling.

"And I'm sure my wife has more to add, because Merlin, even I do, but instead, I'm going to let young Dean here finish reading the chapter." He snapped, before smiling lightly at Dean for him to continue, who just gulped.

**Hermione shut the book with a snap. **

"**Well, if you two are going to chicken out, fine," she said. There were bright pink patches on her cheeks and her eyes were brighter than usual. "I don't want to break rules, you know. I think threatening Muggle-borns is far worse than brewing up a difficult potion. But if you don't want to find out if it's Malfoy, I'll go straight to Madam Pince now and hand the book back in.' **

"She's actually persuading them to break the rules?" Ginny gasped, surprised.

"**I never thought I'd see the day when you'd be persuading us to break rules," said Ron. "All right, we'll do it. But not toenails, okay?" **

"Oh please, no toenails," Someone mutters.

"**How long will it take to make, anyway?" said Harry as Hermione, looking happier, opened the book again. **

"Has to be a while, right?"

"**Well, since the fluxweed has got to be picked at the full moon and the lacewings have got to be stewed for twenty-one days… I'd say it'd be ready in about a month, if we can get all the ingredients." **

"**A month?" said Ron. "Malfoy could have attacked half the Muggle-borns in the school by then!" But Hermione's eyes narrowed dangerously again, and he added swiftly, "But it's the best plan we've got, so full steam ahead, I say." **

"Safe choice, mate." Dean interrupts himself, grinning.

"Don't know why they don't see how perfect they are for one another," Ginny's heard muttering to Molly, who's nodding her head, while everyone rolls their eyes.

**However, while Hermione was checking that the coast was clear for them to leave the bathroom, Ron muttered to Harry, "It'll be a lot less hassle if you can just knock Malfoy off his broom tomorrow." **

"Amen!" James muttered.

"But why a rogue bludger?"

"Oh, we'll figure it out if we just keep reading," Someone shouts, annoyed.

**Harry woke early on Saturday morning and lay for a while thinking about the coming Quidditch match.**

"I do that!" Many players shouted.

**He was nervous, mainly at the thought of what Wood would say if Gryffindor lost, but also at the idea of facing a team mounted on the fastest racing brooms gold could buy.**

"Oh. Oh yeah," James mutters, grimacing.

**He had never wanted to beat Slytherin so badly. **

"We all want them beat, mate."

**After half an hour of lying there with his insides churning, he got up, dressed, and went down to breakfast early, where he found the rest of the Gryffindor team huddled at the long, empty table, all looking uptight and not speaking much.**

"Oh wow, that's a team right there," James mutters, cringing at how they must have been feeling.

**As eleven o'clock approached, the whole school started to make its way down to the Quidditch stadium. It was a muggy sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air. **

"My favourite kind of days, actually. That, and when the smell of rain is in the air," Harry mutters quietly, a smile on his face, as Sirius barks, wags his tail and licks Harry.

**Ron and Hermione came hurrying over to wish Harry good luck as he entered the locker rooms.**

"I would love to see him in the locker room," Ginny sighed, while Harry blushed and became annoyed at the young girl.

**The team pulled on their scarlet Gryffindor robes, then sat down to listen to Wood's usual pre-match pep talk. **

Sighs were heard around the room.

"**Slytherin has better brooms than us," he began. "No point denying it. But we've got better people on our brooms. We've trained harder than they have, we've been flying in all weathers —"**

"It's true!" James can be heard grumbling, knowing how dedicated the Lions are.

**("Too true," muttered George Weasley. "I haven't been properly dry since August") "— and we're going to make them rue the day they let that little bit of slime, Malfoy, buy his way onto their team." **

"AMEN!" Lily shouted, while everyone laughed at the surprising action of the female.

**Chest heaving with emotion, Wood turned to Harry. "It'll be down to you, Harry,"**

"Always put the pressure on him, why don't you?" Remus mutters, rolling his eyes to James, who laughed.

- ** "to show them that a Seeker has to have something more than a rich father. Get to that Snitch before Malfoy or die trying, Harry, because we've got to win today, we've got to." **

"Oh yes, die trying. Like he doesn't have enough trying to die moments at the school," Minerva mutters, crossing her arms.

"I was actually taking his speech seriously, that time."

"Harry!"

"What? I wasn't going to let slimy snakes win at my sport!" Harry snorts.

"**So no pressure, Harry" said Fred, winking at him. **

"Nice wink, Weasley!" Malfoy snorts, while everyone stares at him.

**As they walked out onto the pitch, a roar of noise greeted them; mainly cheers, because Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were anxious to see Slytherin beaten, but the Slytherins in the crowd made their boos and hisses heard, too. **

"Of course they did."

**Madam Hooch, the Quidditch teacher, asked Flint and Wood to shake hands, which they did, giving each other threatening stares and gripping rather harder than was necessary. **

"It's how Quidditch goes!" James bursts.

"**On my whistle," said Madam Hooch. "Three… two… one…" With a roar from the crowd to speed them upward, the fourteen players rose toward the leaden sky. Harry flew higher than any of them, squinting around for the Snitch. **

"**All right there, Scarhead?" yelled Malfoy, shooting underneath him as though to show off the speed of his broom. **

"Of course. The guy can't play so he _tries_ to use his words." James snorts.

**Harry had no time to reply. At that very moment, a heavy black Bludger came pelting toward him; he avoided it so narrowly that he felt it ruffle his hair as it passed. **

"Holy Merlin!" James whispers, sitting up straight in worry.

"**Close one, Harry!" said George, streaking past him with his club in his hand, ready to knock the Bludger back toward a Slytherin. Harry saw George give the Bludger a powerful whack in the direction of Adrian Pucey, but the Bludger changed direction in midair and shot straight for Harry again. **

"What in the bloody name of Merlin?" Remus whispers, his own body going tense, while Sirius is thumping his tail in worry, while looking at Harry between intervals.

**Harry dropped quickly to avoid it, and George managed to hit it hard toward Malfoy. Once again, the Bludger swerved like a boomerang and shot at Harry's head. **

"So that's what they mean by rogue bludger, then?"

**Harry put on a burst of speed and zoomed toward the other end of the pitch. He could hear the Bludger whistling along behind him. What was going on? Bludgers never concentrated on one player like this; it was their job to try and unseat as many people as possible… **

"I will never have a normal Quidditch match, will I?"Harry asks, turning towards his friends, who shake their heads.

**Fred Weasley was waiting for the Bludger at the other end. Harry ducked as Fred swung at the Bludger with all his might; the Bludger was knocked off course. **

"Thank goodness," Neville can be heard muttering.

"**Gotcha!" Fred yelled happily, but he was wrong; as though it was magnetically attracted to Harry, the Bludger pelted after him once more and Harry was forced to fly off at full speed. **

**It had started to rain; **

"Of course it did," James snorts, shaking his head while watching his wife, ready to comfort her just in case.

**Harry felt heavy drops fall onto his face, splattering onto his glasses. He didn't have a clue what was going on in the rest of the game until he heard Lee Jordan, who was commentating, say, "Slytherin lead, sixty points to zero.' **

"Are you kidding?" Many of the adults shout, shocked at the way the match is going.

**The Slytherins' superior brooms were clearly doing their jobs, and meanwhile the mad Bludger was doing all it could to knock Harry out of the air. Fred and George were now flying so close to him on either side that Harry could see nothing at all except their flailing arms and had no chance to look for the Snitch, let alone catch it. **

"The twins need to get out of there, man."

"**Someone's — tampered — with — this — Bludger —" Fred grunted, swinging his bat with all his might at it as it launched a new attack on Harry. **

"Well, at least _someone_ notices," Someone snorts.

"**We need time out," said George, trying to signal to Wood and stop the Bludger breaking Harry's nose at the same time. **

"Nice multitasking abilities there mate." Ron laughs.

**Wood had obviously got the message. Madam Hooch's whistle rang out and Harry, Fred, and George dived for the ground, still trying to avoid the mad Bludger. **

"**What's going on?" said Wood as the Gryffindor team huddled together, while Slytherins in the crowd jeered. "We're being flattened. Fred, George, where were you when that Bludger stopped Angelina scoring?" **

"**We were twenty feet above her, stopping the other Bludger from murdering Harry, Oliver," said George angrily.**

"None of us had even noticed that the other bludger was going for Harry," Alicia states, shaking her head.

"**Someone's fixed it — it won't leave Harry alone. It hasn't gone for anyone else all game. The Slytherins must have done something to it." **

"**But the Bludgers have been locked in Madam Hooch's office since our last practice, and there was nothing wrong with them then…" said Wood, anxiously. Madam Hooch was walking toward them. Over her shoulder, Harry could see the Slytherin team jeering and pointing in his direction. **

James scowls at this, crossing his arms.

"**Listen," said Harry as she came nearer and nearer, "with you two flying around me all the time the only way I'm going to catch the Snitch is if it flies up my sleeve. Go back to the rest of the team and let me deal with the rogue one." **

"ARE YOU INSANE, HARRY JAMES POTTER?" Lily screeches, making James cringe, as he had been right next to her. "Oh, sorry, dear," She says absentmindedly, patting him on the arm.

"Harry you _can't_!" Hermione moans.

"**Don't be thick," said Fred. "It'll take your head off." **

**Wood was looking from Harry to the Weasleys. **

"**Oliver, this is insane," said Alicia Spinner angrily. "You can't let Harry deal with that thing on his own. Let's ask for an inquiry…" **

"**If we stop now, we'll have to forfeit the match!" said Harry. "And we're not losing to Slytherin just because of a crazy Bludger! Come on, Oliver, tell them to leave me alone!"**

"Ah man, he's actually willing to die than let Slytherin win," James muttered, shaking his head.

"You were too, mate."

"Shut it, Remy."

"**This is all your fault," George said angrily to Wood. "'Get the Snitch or die trying,' what a stupid thing to tell him —" **

"Thank you!" Lily says at the same time that George says, "He was already an honorable Weasley. No way were we letting him!"

**Madam Hooch had joined them. "Ready to resume play?" she asked Wood. **

**Wood looked at the determined look on Harry's face. **

"**All right," he said. "Fred, George, you heard Harry — leave him alone and let him deal with the Bludger on his own." **

"Man, I was so pissed when he said that," Fred mutters, glaring at the table.

**The rain was falling more heavily now. On Madam Hooch's whistle, Harry kicked hard into the air and heard the telltale whoosh of the Bludger behind him. Higher and higher Harry climbed; he looped and swooped, spiraled, zigzagged, and rolled. Slightly dizzy, he nevertheless kept his eyes wide open, rain was speckling his glasses and ran up his nostrils as he hung upside down, avoiding another fierce dive from the Bludger. He could hear laughter from the crowd; he knew he must look very stupid, but the rogue Bludger was heavy and couldn't change direction as quickly as Harry could; he began a kind of roller-coaster ride around the edges of the stadium, squinting through the silver sheets of rain to the Gryffindor goal posts, where Adrian Pucey was trying to get past Wood. **

**A whistling in Harry's ear told him the Bludger had just missed him again; he turned right over and sped in the opposite direction. **

"**Training for the ballet, Potter?" yelled Malfoy**

"Can you honestly not think up anything clever _or _funny?" Lily questions, snorting.

-** as Harry was forced to do a stupid kind of twirl in midair to dodge the Bludger, and he fled, the Bludger trailing a few feet behind him; and then, glaring back at Malfoy in hatred, he saw it — the Golden Snitch.**

"Ah, there she is. What beauty, what gold, what—"

"Shut it, Potter."

**It was hovering inches above Malfoy's left ear — and Malfoy, busy laughing at Harry, hadn't seen it. **

"HA!"

**For an agonizing moment, Harry hung in midair, not daring to speed toward Malfoy in case he looked up and saw the Snitch. **

**WHAM. **

"Oh noes!" Lily groaned, cringing as James grimaced.

**He had stayed still a second too long. **

"Well, obviously."

**The Bludger had hit him at last, smashed into his elbow, and Harry felt his arm break.**

"That's gotta hurt!"

**Dimly, dazed by the searing pain in his arm, he slid sideways on his rain-drenched broom, one knee still crooked over it, his right arm dangling useless at his side — the Bludger came pelting back for a second attack, this time zooming at his face — Harry swerved out of the way, one idea firmly lodged in his numb brain: get to Malfoy. **

**Through a haze of rain and pain he dived for the shimmering, sneering face below him and saw its eyes widen with fear: Malfoy thought Harry was attacking him. **

James snorted again, while Malfoy paled at the glare his father was giving him.

"**What the —" he gasped, careening out of Harry's way. **

**Harry took his remaining hand off his broom and made a wild snatch; he felt his fingers close on the cold Snitch but was now only gripping the broom with his legs, and there was a yell from the crowd below as he headed straight for the ground, trying hard not to pass out.**

"AH!" Lily gasped, putting her face in her hands, while James rubbed her shoulders.

**With a splattering thud he hit the mud and rolled off his broom. His arm was hanging at a very strange angle; riddled with pain, he heard, as though from a distance, a good deal of whistling and shouting. He focused on the Snitch clutched in his good hand. **

"**Aha," he said vaguely. "We've won." **

**And he fainted. **

Everyone snorts at this, some shaking their head, while Harry blushes.

**He came around, rain falling on his face, still lying on the field, with someone leaning over him. He saw a glitter of teeth. **

"Oy, anyone but this pompous git," Lily groans, glaring at the book.

"You better not do anything to worsen my son, Loopy Lockhart!"

"**Oh, no, not you," he moaned. **

"At least Harry knows what he's saying, eh son?"

"**Doesn't know what he's saying," said Lockhart loudly to the anxious crowd of Gryffindors pressing around them. "Not to worry, Harry. I'm about to fix your arm." **

"I thought we just proved he knew what he was saying—"

"And please don't fix his arm. Or try to." Lily groaned, while Remus glared and James shook his head.

"**No!" said Harry. "I'll keep it like this, thanks…" He tried to sit up, but the pain was terrible. He heard a familiar clicking noise nearby. **

"Now really isn't the time for photos, kid." James says, sighing.

"**I don't want a photo of this, Colin," he said loudly. **

"**Lie back, Harry," said Lockhart soothingly. "It's a simple charm I've used countless times —" **

"Sure you have!"

"**Why can't I just go to the hospital wing?" said Harry through clenched teeth. **

"Yeah? Especially since he _should_ go there in the first place."

"**He should really, Professor," said a muddy Wood, who couldn't help grinning even though his Seeker was injured. "Great capture, Harry, really spectacular, your best yet, I'd say —" **

**Through the thicket of legs around him, Harry spotted Fred and George Weasley, wrestling the rogue Bludger into a box. It was still putting up a terrific fight. **

"Terrific? Try—"

"Horrific. It was almost—"

"Like it wanted—"

"You dead!" The twins finish together.

"**Stand back," said Lockhart, who was rolling up his jade-green sleeves. **

"Merlin, no."

"**No — don't —" said Harry weakly, but Lockhart was twirling his wand and a second later had directed it straight at Harry's arm. **

"WAND RAPE!"

"James, that's so inconsiderate. What if someone here had actually been raped? How would've you felt then?"

"Shite, sorry." James responds, looking guilty.

**A strange and unpleasant sensation started at Harry's shoulder and spread all the way down to his fingertips. It felt as though his arm was being deflated.**

"Please, do not let it be the spell I think it is," Lily moans.

**He didn't dare look at what was happening. He had shut his eyes, his face turned away from his arm, but his worst fears were realized as the people above him gasped and Colin Creevey began clicking away madly. **

"A little tact, would be nice, Creevy."

**His arm didn't hurt anymore — nor did it feel remotely like an arm. **

"Oh, no."

"**Ah," said Lockhart. "Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen. But the point is, the bones are no longer broken. That's the thing to bear in mind. So, Harry, just toddle up to the hospital wing — ah, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, would you escort him? — and Madam Pomfrey will be able to — er — tidy you up a bit."**

"That imbecile!"

**As Harry got to his feet, he felt strangely lopsided. Taking a deep breath he looked down at his right side. What he saw nearly made him pass out again. Poking out of the end of his robes was what looked like a thick, flesh-colored rubber glove. He tried to move his fingers. Nothing happened. **

"Merlin, I'm gonna be sick." James says, before summoning a bucket and placing it in front of him.

**Lockhart hadn't mended Harry's bones. He had removed them. Madam Pomfrey wasn't at all pleased. **

"**You should have come straight to me!" she raged, holding up the sad, limp remainder of what, half an hour before, had been a working arm. "I can mend bones in a second — but growing them back —" **

"**You will be able to, won't you?" said Harry desperately. **

"Oh, of course dear. It's just going to hurt."

"**I'll be able to, certainly, but it will be painful," said Madam Pomfrey grimly, throwing Harry a pair of pajamas. "You'll have to stay the night…" **

**Hermione waited outside the curtain drawn around Harry's bed while Ron helped him into his pajamas. It took a while to stuff the rubbery, boneless arm into a sleeve. **

"**How can you stick up for Lockhart now, Hermione, eh?" Ron called through the curtain as he pulled Harry's limp fingers through the cuff. "If Harry had wanted deboning he would have asked." **

The Great Hall burst into laughter at this sentence, while Harry blushed, his eyes going wide. Sirius was barking, and Remus was smirking.

"**Anyone can make a mistake," said Hermione. "And it doesn't hurt anymore, does it, Harry?" **

"**No," said Harry, getting into bed. "But it doesn't do anything else either." **

"OH. MY. MERLIN—"

"HARRY AND HERMIONE—"

"ARE TALKING—"

"DIRTY!" The twins shouted, while everyone laughed and Harry and Hermione blushed.

"We were not!"

"Sure, it could've seem like we were—"

"But we weren't!" Hermione said, crossing her arms and pouting. This just caused everyone else to laugh harder.

**As he swung himself onto the bed, his arm flapped pointlessly. **

**Hermione and Madam Pomfrey came around the curtain. Madam Pomfrey was holding a large bottle of something labeled Skele-Gro. **

"**You're in for a rough night," she said, pouring out a steaming beakerful and handing it to him. "Regrowing bones is a nasty business." **

"It really is."

"But at least he isn't regrowing _that_ bone." The twins snorted.

**So was taking the Skele-Gro. It burned Harry's mouth and throat as it went down, making him cough and splutter. Still tut-tutting about dangerous sports and inept teachers, Madam Pomfrey retreated, leaving Ron and Hermione to help Harry gulp down some water. "We won, though," said Ron, a grin breaking across his face. "That was some catch you made. Malfoy's face… he looked ready to kill…" **

"**I want to know how he fixed that Bludger," said Hermione darkly. **

"No one hurts my Harry and gets away with it." Hermione pouted, crossing her arms, while Harry's eyes went wide and James grinned.

"**We can add that to the list of questions we'll ask him when we've taken the Polyjuice Potion," said Harry, sinking back onto his pillows. "I hope it tastes better than this stuff…"**

"Oh, it totally doesn't."

"**If it's got bits of Slytherins in it? You've got to be joking," said Ron. **

Many laughed.

**The door of the hospital wing burst open at that moment. Filthy and soaking wet, the rest of the Gryffindor team had arrived to see Harry.**

"Of course. We cared, mate."

"**Unbelievable flying, Harry," said George. "I've just seen Marcus Flint yelling at Malfoy. Something about having the Snitch on top of his head and not noticing. Malfoy didn't seem too happy." They had brought cakes, sweets, and bottles of pumpkin juice; they gathered around Harry's bed and were just getting started on what promised to be a good party when Madam Pomfrey came storming over, shouting, "This boy needs rest, he's got thirty-three bones to regrow! Out! OUT!" And Harry was left alone, with nothing to distract him from the stabbing pains in his limp arm. **

"Awh. But parties are awesome!"

**Hours and hours later, Harry woke quite suddenly in the pitch blackness and gave a small yelp of pain: His arm now felt full of large splinters. For a second, he thought that was what had woken him. **

"If it wasn't, then what did?"

**Then, with a thrill of horror, he realized that someone was sponging his forehead in the dark. **

"**Get off!" he said loudly, and then, "Dobby!"**

"You're kidding, right?"

**The house-elf's goggling tennis ball eyes were peering at Harry through the darkness. A single tear was running down his long, pointed nose. **

"Creepy. Way too creepy."

"**Harry Potter came back to school," he whispered miserably. "Dobby warned and warned Harry Potter. Ah sir, why didn't you heed Dobby? Why didn't Harry Potter go back home when he missed the train?" **

"Dobby has something to do with that, doesn't he?"

**Harry heaved himself up on his pillows and pushed Dobby's sponge away. "What're you doing here?" he said. "And how did you know I missed the train?" **

**Dobby's lip trembled and Harry was seized by a sudden suspicion. **

"**It was you!" he said slowly. "You stopped the barrier from letting us through!" **

"**Indeed yes, sir," said Dobby, nodding his head vigorously, ears flapping. "Dobby hid and watched for Harry Potter and sealed the gateway and Dobby had to iron his hands afterward" — he showed Harry ten long, bandaged fingers — "but Dobby didn't care, sir, for he thought Harry Potter was safe, and never did Dobby dream that Harry Potter would get to school another way!" **

"Oh, Dobby, you poor thing." Hermione moans, shaking her head.

**He was rocking backward and forward, shaking his ugly head. "Dobby was so shocked when he heard Harry Potter was back at Hogwarts, he let his master's dinner burn! Such a flogging Dobby never had, sir…" **

"He deserved it, too." Lucius glares, while Narcissa glares right back, angrier than ever with him.

**Harry slumped back onto his pillows. "You nearly got Ron and me expelled," he said fiercely. "You'd better get lost before my bones come back, Dobby, or I might strangle you." **

"HARRY!"

**Dobby smiled weakly. "Dobby is used to death threats, sir. Dobby gets them five times a day at home." **

"I felt so horrible after, eugh."

**He blew his nose on a corner of the filthy pillowcase he wore, looking so pathetic that Harry felt his anger ebb away in spite of himself. **

"**Why d'you wear that thing, Dobby?" he asked curiously. **

"**This, sir?" said Dobby, plucking at the pillowcase. "'Tis a mark of the house-elf's enslavement, sir. Dobby can only be freed if his masters present him with clothes, sir. The family is careful not to pass Dobby even a sock, sir, for then he would be free to leave their house forever." **

"And what a pity that would be, right?" James snorts.

**Dobby mopped his bulging eyes and said suddenly, "Harry Potter must go home! Dobby thought his Bludger would be enough to make —" **

"YOUR BLUDGER?"

"WHAT D'YOU MEAN, YOUR BLUDGER?" James and Lily shout.

"**Your Bludger?" said Harry, anger rising once more. "What d'you mean, your Bludger? You made that Bludger try and kill me?" **

"**Not kill you, sir, never kill you!" said Dobby, shocked. "Dobby wants to save Harry Potter's life! Better sent home, grievously injured, than remain here sir! Dobby only wanted Harry Potter hurt enough to be sent home!" **

"Except, I don't think of that hell hole a home."

"**Oh, is that all?" said Harry angrily. "I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you wanted me sent home in pieces?" **

"**Ah, if Harry Potter only knew!" Dobby groaned, more tears dripping onto his ragged pillowcase. "If he knew what he means to us, to the lowly, the enslaved, we dregs of the magical world! Dobby remembers how it was when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was at the height of his powers, sir! We house-elves were treated like vermin, sir! Of course, Dobby is still treated like that, sir," he admitted, drying his face on the pillowcase. "But mostly, sir, life has improved for my kind since you triumphed over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Harry Potter survived, and the Dark Lord's power was broken, and it was a new dawn, sir, and Harry Potter shone like a beacon of hope for those of us who thought the Dark days would never end, sit… And now, at Hogwarts, terrible things are to happen, are perhaps happening already, and Dobby cannot let Harry Potter stay here now that history is to repeat itself, now that the Chamber of Secrets is open once more." **

**Dobby froze, horrorstruck, then grabbed Harry's water jug from his bedside table and cracked it over his own head, toppling out of sight. A second later, he crawled back onto the bed, cross-eyed, muttering, "Bad Dobby, very bad Dobby…" **

"I hate it when they hurt themselves."

"**So there is a Chamber of Secrets?" Harry whispered. "And did you say it's been opened before? Tell me, Dobby!" **

"Don't tell him, Dobby!"

**He seized the elf's bony wrist as Dobby's hand inched toward the water jug. "But I'm not Muggle-born — how can I be in danger from the Chamber?" **

"**Ah, sir, ask no more, ask no more of poor Dobby," stammered the elf, his eyes huge in the dark. "Dark deeds are planned in this place, but Harry Potter must not be here when they happen — go home, Harry Potter, go home. Harry Potter must not meddle in this, sir, 'tis too dangerous —" **

"I've already faced so many dangers, anyways. What's one more?"

"**Who is it, Dobby?" Harry said, keeping a firm hold on Dobby's wrist to stop him from hitting himself with the water jug again. "Who's opened it? Who opened it last time?" **

"**Dobby can't, sir, Dobby can't, Dobby mustn't tell!" squealed the elf. "Go home, Harry Potter, go home!" **

"I should apologize to Dobby for holding him so tightly."

"**I'm not going anywhere!" said Harry fiercely. "One of my best friends is Muggle-born; she'll be first in line if the Chamber really has been opened —" **

"Awh, thanks Harry," Hermione grins, kissing him on the cheek.

"**Harry Potter risks his own life for his friends!" moaned Dobby in a kind of miserable ecstasy. **

"That sounds so wrong!"

"**So noble! So valiant! But he must save himself, he must, Harry Potter must not —" **

**Dobby suddenly froze, his bat ears quivering. Harry heard it, too. There were footsteps coming down the passageway outside. **

"What happened?"

"**Dobby must go!" breathed the elf, terrified. There was a loud crack, and Harry's fist was suddenly clenched on thin air. He slumped back into bed, his eyes on the dark doorway to the hospital wing as the footsteps drew nearer. **

**Next moment, Dumbledore was backing into the dormitory, wearing a long woolly dressing gown and a nightcap. He was carrying one end of what looked like a statue. Professor McGonagall appeared a second later, carrying its feet. Together, they heaved it onto a bed. **

"**Get Madam Pomfrey," whispered Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall hurried past the end of Harry's bed out of sight. Harry lay quite still, pretending to be asleep. **

"You're good at that, aren't you Potter?" Snape drawled, annoyed once more.

"Yep."

**He heard urgent voices, and then Professor McGonagall swept back into view, closely followed by Madam Pomfrey, who was pulling a cardigan on over her nightdress. He heard a sharp intake of breath. **

"**What happened?" Madam Pomfrey whispered to Dumbledore, bending over the statue on the bed. **

"**Another attack," said Dumbledore. "Minerva found him on the stairs." **

"Oh no, who was it?" Lily moans, er eyes wide.

"**There was a bunch of grapes next to him," said Professor McGonagall. "We think he was trying to sneak up here to visit Potter."**

"Do you realize how guilty I felt about that?"Harry snaps, pouting, while Sirius tries to calm him down.

**Harry's stomach gave a horrible lurch. Slowly and carefully, he raised himself a few inches so he could look at the statue on the bed. A ray of moonlight lay across its staring face. **

**It was Colin Creevey. His eyes were wide and his hands were stuck up in front of him, holding his camera. **

"**Petrified?" whispered Madam Pomfrey. **

"**Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "But I shudder to think… If Albus hadn't been on the way downstairs for hot chocolate — who knows what might have —" /The three of them stared down at Colin. Then Dumbledore leaned forward and wrenched the camera out of Colin's rigid grip. **

"**You don't think he managed to get a picture of his attacker?" said Professor McGonagall eagerly. Dumbledore didn't answer. He opened the back of the camera. **

"**Good gracious!" said Madam Pomfrey. **

"What happened?" Many people shouted, inching forward in their seats.

**A jet of steam had hissed out of the camera. Harry, three beds away, caught the acrid smell of burnt plastic. **

"**Melted," said Madam Pomfrey wonderingly. "All melted…" **

"How on Merlin does that happen?"

"**What does this mean, Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked urgently. **

"**It means," said Dumbledore, "that the Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again." Madam Pomfrey clapped a hand to her mouth. Professor McGonagall stared at Dumbledore. **

"**But, Albus… surely… who?" **

"**The question is not who," said Dumbledore, his eyes on Colin. "The question is, how…" And from what Harry could see of Professor McGonagall's shadowy face, she didn't understand this any better than he did.**

"Though, Professors, shouldn't you have? I mean, if –"

"Another time, Hermione." Harry interrupts, not wanting to glare any more at Albus throughout the day.

"Who wants to read next?" Dean asks, and the book floats over to Mad-Eye, who grabs it steadily.


	31. Chapter 31

**Authors Note**: Hey guys, thanks for all of your reviews. So, I was going to post last night, and I was going to post two chapters, but I actually realized I had already posted the chapter previous, so it's one chapter again. As for last night, my mom was sent to the Hospital, so that wasn't actually happening. She's still there, and we still know nothing, but, I might as well get this out now. My next update will come within the week, and I promise, will be a lot more chapters.

* * *

"**CHAPTER ELEVEN, The Dueling Club"**

"Oh, this sounds interesting!" Lily said, clapping her hands. Sirius noticed Harry had tensed, as had James, who looked over at his son.

"Sure, having everyone turn against you is bloody good fun," Harry mumbled, while some people had began looking guilty.

**Harry woke up on Sunday morning to find the dormitory blazing with winter sunlight and his arm reboned but very stiff. He sat up quickly and looked over at Colin's bed, but it had been blocked from view by the high curtains Harry had changed behind yesterday. Seeing that he was awake, Madam Pomfrey came bustling over with a breakfast tray and then began bending and stretching his arm and fingers.**

"Sounds like good ol' Poppy," James grinned, remembering all the times he stayed in the Hospital Wing.

"**All in order," she said as he clumsily fed himself porridge left-handed. "When you've finished eating, you may leave." **

"Finally!" The twins shouted, grinning.

**Harry dressed as quickly as he could and hurried off to Gryffindor Tower, desperate to tell Ron and Hermione about Colin and Dobby, but they weren't there. **

"They were snogging, right?" Ginny shouted, grinning.

"Ginny, we were _twelve. _We thought the opposite sex gross, in that way." Hermione stated, arching an eyebrow, while everyone laughed.

**Harry left to look for them, wondering where they could have got to and feeling slightly hurt that they weren't interested in whether he had his bones back or not. **

"Oh, Harry, of course we were!" Hermione interrupted, squeezing his hand, while he smiled gratefully.

"Awww," Many people said, smiling.

**As Harry passed the library, Percy Weasley strolled out of it, looking in far better spirits than last time they'd met. **

"**Oh, hello, Harry," he said. "Excellent flying yesterday, really excellent. Gryffindor has just taken the lead for the House Cup — you earned fifty points!" **

"Whooo!"

"**You haven't seen Ron or Hermione, have you?" said Harry. **

"Maybe they're in the girls bathroom?"

"**No, I haven't," said Percy, his smile fading. "I hope Ron's not in another girls' toilet…" **

"Obviously, the prefect knows things he shouldn't."

**Harry forced a laugh, watched Percy walk out of sight, and then headed straight for Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. **

"Nice of you to realize where we were, mate."

**He couldn't see why Ron and Hermione would be in there again, but after making sure that neither Filch nor any prefects were around, he opened the door and heard their voices coming from a locked stall. **

"THEY'RE—"

"Enough, Ginny!" Bill interrupted his sister, not wanting to hear her go on about something tat isn't there in the first place.

"**It's me," he said, closing the door behind him. There was a clunk, a splash, and a gasp from within the stall and he saw Hermione's eye peering through the keyhole. **

"**Harry!" she said. "You gave us such a fright — come in. How's your arm?" **

"THREESOME!"

"MR. JORDAN!"

"What?" Lee laughed, while many of the older students grinned, snorted or smirked.

"**Fine," said Harry, squeezing into the stall. An old cauldron was perched on the toilet, and a crackling from under the rim told Harry they had lit a fire beneath it. Conjuring up portable, waterproof fires was a speciality of Hermione's. **

"Why, thanks Harry!"

"**We'd've come to meet you, but we decided to get started on the Polyjuice Potion," Ron explained as Harry, with difficulty, locked the stall again. "We've decided this is the safest place to hide it." Harry started to tell them about Colin, but Hermione interrupted. **

"**We already know — we heard Professor McGonagall telling Professor Flitwick this morning. That's why we decided we'd better get going —" **

"Why am I not surprised?" Someone snorted.

"**The sooner we get a confession out of Malfoy, the better," snarled Ron. "D'you know what I think? He was in such a foul temper after the Quidditch match, he took it out on Colin."**

"Ronald, don't make such assumptioms."

"**There's something else," said Harry, watching Hermione tearing bundles of knotgrass and throwing them into the potion. "Dobby came to visit me in the middle of the night." **

**Ron and Hermione looked up, amazed. Harry told them everything Dobby had told him — or hadn't told him. Hermione and Ron listened with their mouths open. **

"Of course they did. They're the perfect audience." Someone snorted.

"**The Chamber of Secrets has been opened before?" Hermione said. **

"Really?"

"**This settles it," said Ron in a triumphant voice. "Lucius Malfoy must've opened the Chamber when he was at school here and now he's told dear old Draco how to do it. It's obvious. Wish Dobby'd told you what kind of monster's in there, though. I want to know how come nobody's noticed it sneaking around the school." **

More snorts were heard around the room at Ron's logic.

"**Maybe it can make itself invisible," said Hermione, prodding leeches to the bottom of the cauldron. "Or maybe it can disguise itself — pretend to be a suit of armor or something — I've read about Chameleon Ghouls —" **

"She reads too much."

"**You read too much, Hermione," said Ron, pouring dead lacewings on top of the leeches. He crumpled up the empty lacewing bag and looked at Harry. **

"**So Dobby stopped us from getting on the train and broke your arm." He shook his head. "You know what, Harry? If he doesn't stop trying to save your life he's going to kill you." **

"Also not surprising."

**The news that Colin Creevey had been attacked and was now lying as though dead in the hospital wing had spread through the entire school by Monday morning. **

"Because secrets are never secrets at Hogwarts!"

**The air was suddenly thick with rumor and suspicion. The first years were now moving around the castle in tight-knit groups, as though scared they would be attacked if they ventured forth alone. **

"I s'pose that makes sense, though."

**Ginny Weasley, who sat next to Colin Creevey in Charms, was distraught, but Harry felt that Fred and George were going the wrong way about cheering her up. They were taking turns covering themselves with fur or boils and jumping out at her from behind statues.**

"Dude, that's amazing!"

**They only stopped when Percy, apoplectic with rage, told them he was going to write to Mrs. Weasley and tell her Ginny was having nightmares. **

"Oh yes, please, make everything a much bigger deal than it is."

"Why is she having nightmares from being covered with fur and boils? Is she secretly five?" Lily snorts at James, who shakes his head and smirks.

**Meanwhile, hidden from the teachers, a roaring trade in talismans, amulets, and other protective devices was sweeping the school. **

"Oh, but those never work!"

**Neville Longbottom bought a large, evil-smelling green onion, a pointed purple crystal, and a rotting newt tail before the other Gryffindor boys pointed out that he was in no danger; he was a pure-blood, and therefore unlikely to be attacked. **

"Well yeah, but he's clumsy!"

"**They went for Filch first," Neville said, his round face fearful. "And everyone knows I'm almost a Squib." **

"Oh Nev, no. You're just not use to your magic yet!"

**In the second week of December Professor McGonagall came around as usual, collecting names of those who would be staying at school for Christmas. Harry, Ron, and Hermione signed her list; they had heard that Malfoy was staying, which struck them as very suspicious.**

"That would be suspicious."

**The holidays would be the perfect time to use the Polyjuice Potion and try to worm a confession out of him. **

"YES!"

**Unfortunately, the potion was only half finished.**

"Awh, man!"

**They still needed the bicorn horn and the boomslang skin, and the only place they were going to get them was from Snape's private stores.**

"Ooh, James likes this so far!" James laughed, rubbing his hands together, jokingly, in an evil manner.

**Harry privately felt he'd rather face Slytherin's legendary monster than let Snape catch him robbing his office. **

"Because you would have been expelled immediately."

"**What we need," said Hermione briskly as Thursday afternoon's double Potions lesson loomed nearer, "is a diversion. Then one of us can sneak into Snape's office and take what we need." **

**Harry and Ron looked at her nervously. **

"Of course."

"**I think I'd better do the actual stealing," Hermione continued in a matter-of-fact tone. "You two will be expelled if you get into any more trouble, and I've got a clean record. So all you need to do is cause enough mayhem to keep Snape busy for five minutes or so." **

"Why, of course they can do that!"

**Harry smiled feebly. Deliberately causing mayhem in Snape's Potions class was about as safe as poking a sleeping dragon in the eye. **

Many people snorted here.

**Potions lessons took place in one of the large dungeons. Thursday afternoon's lesson proceeded in the usual way. Twenty cauldrons stood steaming between the wooden desks, on which stood brass scales and jars of ingredients. Snape prowled through the fumes, making waspish remarks about the Gryffindors' work while the Slytherins sniggered appreciatively. **

"Of course, because he's extremely biased when it comes to the two houses." Lily snorted, her nostrils flaring.

"Don't worry, Lily, this just provides us all the proof we need." Minerva stated, nodding her head.

**Draco Malfoy, who was Snape's favorite student, kept flicking puffer-fish eyes at Ron and Harry, who knew that if they retaliated they would get detention faster than you could say "Unfair." **

"And why is Malfoy not getting detention for being distracting?"

"Because he's Snape's favourite student, of course."

**Harry's Swelling Solution was far too runny, but he had his mind on more important things. He was waiting for Hermione's signal, and he hardly listened as Snape paused to sneer at his watery potion. When Snape turned and walked off to bully Neville, Hermione caught Harry's eye and nodded. **

"Wow, words are never needed for them, are they?"

**Harry ducked swiftly down behind his cauldron, pulled one of Fred's Filibuster fireworks out of his pocket, and gave it a quick prod with his wand. **

"HEY!" Fred laughed, clapping his hands.

**The firework began to fizz and sputter. Knowing he had only seconds, Harry straightened up, took aim, and lobbed it into the air; it landed right on target in Goyle's cauldron. **

"Nice aim, Potter." Mad-Eye interrupted himself, his eye looking in all directions.

**Goyle's potion exploded, showering the whole class. People shrieked as splashes of the Swelling Solution hit them. Malfoy got a faceful and his nose began to swell like a balloon;**

"Man, what I would do to see a photo of that!"

**Goyle blundered around, his hands over his eyes, which had expanded to the size of a dinner plate —**

"Or that!" Someone laughed.

**Snape was trying to restore calm and find out what had happened. Through the confusion, Harry saw Hermione slip quietly into Snape's office. **

"Sneaky girl."

"**Silence! SILENCE!" Snape roared. "Anyone who has been splashed, come here for a Deflating Draft — when I find out who did this —" **

"What could you possibly do?" Sirius thought, rolling his eyes inwardly before twitching his tail.

**Harry tried not to laugh as he watched Malfoy hurry forward, his head drooping with the weight of a nose like a small melon. As half the class lumbered up to Snape's desk, some weighted down with arms like clubs, others unable to talk through gigantic puffed-up lips, Harry saw Hermione slide back into the dungeon, the front of her robes bulging. **

**When everyone had taken a swig of antidote and the various swellings had subsided, Snape swept over to Goyle's cauldron and scooped out the twisted black remains of the firework. There was a sudden hush. **

"**If I ever find out who threw this," Snape whispered, "I shall make sure that person is expelled." **

"GOOD LUCK WITH THAT, SNAPE!"

**Harry arranged his face into what he hoped was a puzzled expression. Snape was looking right at him, and the bell that rang ten minutes later could not have been more welcome. **

"Of course, no evidence, and you still blame my son."

"There's enough evidence here to tell me I was correct, Potter."

"But certainly not back then, you git." Lily interrupted.

"**He knew it was me," Harry told Ron and Hermione as they hurried back to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. "I could tell." **

**Hermione threw the new ingredients into the cauldron and began to stir feverishly. **

"**It'll be ready in two weeks," she said happily. **

"**Snape can't prove it was you," said Ron reassuringly to Harry. "What can he do?" **

"**Knowing Snape, something foul," said Harry as the potion frothed and bubbled. **

"Indeed."

**A week later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were walking across the entrance hall when they saw a small knot of people gathered around the notice board, reading a piece of parchment that had just been pinned up.**

"Maybe it's _finally_ about the Dueling club?"

**Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas beckoned them over, looking excited.**

"**They're starting a Dueling Club!" said Seamus. "First meeting tonight! I wouldn't mind dueling lessons; they might come in handy one of these days…" **

"Well finally! Hey, maybe Flitwick was in charge of it!" Remus grinned, excited.

"I wish."

"**What, you reckon Slytherin's monster can duel?" said Ron, but he, too, read the sign with interest. **

"**Could be useful," he said to Harry and Hermione as they went into dinner. "Shall we go?" **

"They will, if the chapters name is anything by it."

**Harry and Hermione were all for it, so at eight o'clock that evening they hurried back to the Great Hall. The long dining tables had vanished and a golden stage had appeared along one wall, lit by thousands of candles floating overhead. **

"Sounds pretty."

**The ceiling was velvety black once more and most of the school seemed to be packed beneath it, all carrying their wands and looking excited. **

"**I wonder who'll be teaching us?" said Hermione as they edged into the chattering crowd. **

"**Someone told me Flitwick was a dueling champion when he was young — maybe it'll be him." **

"**As long as it's not —" Harry began, but he ended on a groan: Gilderoy Lockhart was walking onto the stage, resplendent in robes of deep plum and accompanied by none other than Snape, wearing his usual black. **

"Oh, come on! That is the worst duo ever to teach anyone anything about dueling!" James sighed, slamming his head down on the table.

**Lockhart waved an arm for silence and called "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent! Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions — for full details, see my published works."**

"Why would Dumbledore grant him permission? It's obvious the guy is a horrible professor."

"**Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile. "He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry — you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!" **

"What a shame!" Harry laughs, his arms around Sirius' neck.

"**Wouldn't it be good if they finished each other off?" Ron muttered in Harry's ear. **

**Snape's upper lip was curling. Harry wondered why Lockhart was still smiling; if Snape had been looking at him like that he'd have been running as fast as he could in the opposite direction. **

"Where is your Gryffindor bravery, man?"

**Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed; at least, Lockhart did, with much twirling of his hands, whereas Snape jerked his head irritably. Then they raised their wands like swords in front of them. **

Many people laughed at the image this presented.

"**As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart told the silent crowd. "On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course." **

"Of course—"

"Because Snape wasn't a death eater—"

"Or anything!"

"**I wouldn't bet on that," Harry murmured, watching Snape baring his teeth. **

"Even Harry knows it!"

"**One — two — three —" **

**Both of them swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent; Snape cried: "Expelliarmus!" There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet: He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor. **

Laughter could be heard throughout the hall.

**Malfoy and some of the other Slytherins cheered. Hermione was dancing on tiptoes. "Do you think he's all right?" she squealed through her fingers. **

"Who the bloody hell cares?"

"**Who cares?" said Harry and Ron together. Lockhart was getting unsteadily to his feet. His hat had fallen off and his wavy hair was standing on end. **

"WAVY HAIR?"

"**Well, there you have it!" he said, tottering back onto the platform. "That was a Disarming Charm — as you see, I've lost my wand — ah, thank you, Miss Brown — yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do."**

"Oh, lay off of it, Loopy Lockhart!"

"**If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy — however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see…" **

"Sure you did. Cause you're just that smart!"

**Snape was looking murderous. **

"It's not that scary of a look, truthfully."

**Possibly Lockhart had noticed, because he said, "Enough demonstrating! I'm going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you'd like to help me —"**

"Oh no, not good. The git—"

"Lils, let's just get through this chapter without murdering the bat, alright?"

**They moved through the crowd, matching up partners. Lockhart teamed Neville with Justin Finch-Fletchley, but Snape reached Harry and Ron first. **

"Oh, damn."

"**Time to split up the dream team, I think," he sneered. "Weasley, you can partner Finnigan. Potter —" **

"Dream team?"

"Dream team?"

"IS HE GAY?"

"Who says Dream team?"

**Harry moved automatically toward Hermione. **

"Awww"

"Oh wow, even at the tender age of twelve—"

"And thirteen—"

"They were so intuned—"

"It's love." Lily interrupted, grinning and clapping her hands while Harry and Hermione blushed and grinned at one another.

"CONFIDENCE. MY SON IS CONFIDENT. ATTA BOY!"

"**I don't think so," said Snape, smiling coldly. "Mr. Malfoy, come over here. Let's see what you make of the famous Potter. And you, Miss Granger — you can partner Miss Bulstrode." **

"Oh, how interesting."

**Malfoy strutted over, smirking. **

"He struts." James snorted, shaking his head, while Snape looked aghast.

**Behind him walked a Slytherin girl who reminded Harry of a picture he'd seen in Holidays with Hags.**

"Nice one, Harry!"Fred grinned.

**She was large and square and her heavy jaw jutted aggressively. Hermione gave her a weak smile that she did not return. **

"Maybe she _is _a hag?"

"**Face your partners!" called Lockhart, back on the platform. "And bow!" Harry and Malfoy barely inclined their heads, not taking their eyes off each other. **

"**Wands at the ready!" shouted Lockhart. "When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents — only to disarm them — we don't want any accidents — one… two… three —" **

**Harry swung his wand high, but Malfoy had already started on "two": **

"CHEAT!"

**His spell hit Harry so hard he felt as though he'd been hit over the head with a saucepan. He stumbled, but everything still seemed to be working, and wasting no more time, Harry pointed his wand straight at Malfoy and shouted, "**_**Rictusempra!**_**" **

**A jet of silver light hit Malfoy in the stomach and he doubled up, wheezing. **

"Nice one, Harry!"

"**I said disarm only!" Lockhart shouted in alarm over the heads of the battling crowd, as Malfoy sank to his knees; Harry had hit him with a Tickling Charm, and he could barely move for laughing. Harry hung back, with a vague feeling it would be unsporting to bewitch Malfoy while he was on the floor, but this was a mistake; gasping for breath, Malfoy pointed his wand at Harry's knees, choked, "**_**Tarantallegra**_**!" and the next second Harry's legs began to jerk around out of his control in a kind of quickstep. **

"Seriously?"

"**Stop! Stop!" screamed Lockhart, but Snape took charge. "Finite Incantatem!" he shouted; Harry's feet stopped dancing, Malfoy stopped laughing, and they were able to look up. **

**A haze of greenish smoke was hovering over the scene. Both Neville and Justin were lying on the floor, panting; Ron was holding up an ashen-faced Seamus, apologizing for whatever his broken wand had done; but Hermione and Millicent Bulstrode were still moving; Millicent had Hermione in a headlock and Hermione was whimpering in pain; both their wands lay forgotten on the floor. Harry leapt forward and pulled Millicent off. It was difficult: She was a lot bigger than he was.**

"Awh, a knight in shining armor!" George grinned.

"**Dear, dear," said Lockhart, skittering through the crowd, looking at the aftermath of the duels. "Up you go, Macmillan…" **

"**Careful there, Miss Fawcett… Pinch it hard, it'll stop bleeding in a second," **

"**I think I'd better teach you how to block unfriendly spells," said Lockhart, standing flustered in the midst of the hall. He glanced at Snape, whose black eyes glinted, and looked quickly away. "Let's have a volunteer pair — Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you —" **

"Oh, please please please let Snape shut his trap just this once!"

"**A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," said Snape, gliding over like a large and malevolent bat. **

"Sorry Lils, looks like he won't."

"**Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox." Neville's round, pink face went pinker. "How about Malfoy and Potter?" said Snape with a twisted smile. **

"Of course you would, you bumbling, insolent—"

"James!"

"**Excellent idea!" said Lockhart, gesturing Harry and Malfoy into the middle of the hall as the crowd backed away to give them room. **

"Once again, all eyes are unfortunately, on me." Harry mutters, while many of the Slytherins stared in shock and some Hufflepuff's still not use to it.

"**Now, Harry," said Lockhart. "When Draco points his wand at you, you do this." He raised his own wand, attempted a complicated sort of wiggling action, and dropped it. Snape smirked as Lockhart quickly picked it up, saying, "Whoops— my wand is a little overexcited—" **

Many people snorted at this line, while Lily just shook her head, use to innuendoes already.

**Snape moved closer to Malfoy, bent down, and whispered something in his ear. Malfoy smirked, too.**

"Stupid godfather, protecting his stupid godson." James mutters, while Snape glares.

"I guess the same goes for Black then!" He snarls. James, being smarter than that, glares.

**Harry looked up nervously at Lockhart and said, "Professor, could you show me that blocking thing again?" **

"**Scared?" muttered Malfoy, so that Lockhart couldn't hear him. **

"You wish!" James scoffs.

"**You wish," said Harry out of the corner of his mouth. **

James grins at this, while Lily smiles.

**Lockhart cuffed Harry merrily on the shoulder. "Just do what I did, Harry!"**

"That won't get him anywhere, though!"

"**What, drop my wand?" But Lockhart wasn't listening. **

"See, Potter obviously knows, too."

"**Three — two — one — go!" he shouted. **

**Malfoy raised his wand quickly and bellowed, "**_**Serpensortia**_**!" **

"Oh. Oh dear. Anything but that spell!" Lily groans, biting her lower lip.

**The end of his wand exploded. Harry watched, aghast, as a long black snake shot out of it, fell heavily onto the floor between them, and raised itself, ready to strike. There were screams as the crowd backed swiftly away, clearing the floor. **

"An actual death eater in training, then. I'll make a note of that." Mad-Eye interrupts himself, his eye squaring in on Malfoy, who squirms uneasy.

"**Don't move, Potter," said Snape lazily, clearly enjoying the sight of Harry standing motionless, eye to eye with the angry snake. "I'll get rid of it…" **

"Oh, no." Hermione can be heard muttering, as everyone else continues to look guilty.

"**Allow me!" shouted Lockhart. **

"You can't do anything, you dimwitted fool!" Remus snaps, while everyone opens their mouths in shock.

**He brandished his wand at the snake and there was a loud bang; the snake, instead of vanishing, flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack. Enraged, hissing furiously, it slithered straight toward Justin Finch-Fletchley and raised itself again, fangs exposed, poised to strike. **

**Harry wasn't sure what made him do it. He wasn't even aware of deciding to do it. All he knew was that his legs were carrying him forward as though he was on casters and that he had shouted stupidly at the snake, "Leave him alone!" And miraculously — inexplicably — the snake slumped to the floor, docile as a thick, black garden hose, its eyes now on Harry. Harry felt the fear drain out of him. He knew the snake wouldn't attack anyone now, though how he knew it, he couldn't have explained. **

"At least it won't attack anyone?"

"No, it'll just attack my baby!"

**He looked up at Justin, grinning, expecting to see Justin looking relieved, or puzzled, or even grateful — but certainly not angry and scared. **

"Err—"

"**What do you think you're playing at?" he shouted, and before Harry could say anything, Justin had turned and stormed out of the hall. **

"Well, how rude."

**Snape stepped forward, waved his wand, and the snake vanished in a small puff of black smoke. Snape, too, was looking at Harry in an unexpected way: It was a shrewd and calculating look, and Harry didn't like it.**

"Neither do I." James whispers, looking at Snape out of the corner of his eye, in his own calculating way.

**He was also dimly aware of an ominous muttering all around the walls. Then he felt a tugging on the back of his robes. **

"**Come on," said Ron's voice in his ear. "Move — come on —" Ron steered him out of the hall, Hermione hurrying alongside them. As they went through the doors, the people on either side drew away as though they were frightened of catching something. Harry didn't have a clue what was going on, and neither Ron nor Hermione explained anything until they had dragged him all the way up to the empty Gryffindor common room. **

"House unity indeed!" Minerva mutters, crossing her arms.

"It gets worse. Trust us."

**Then Ron pushed Harry into an armchair and said, "You're a Parselmouth. Why didn't you tell us?" **

"**I'm a what?" said Harry. **

"**A Parselmouth!" said Ron. "You can talk to snakes!" **

"I bet every galleon I own that everyone forgets Harry grew up in the muggle world. And that he's a person, too." James interrupts, looking down sadly while many people look even more guilty, knowing how true this statement is.

"**I know," said Harry. "I mean, that's only the second time I've ever done it. I accidentally set a boa constrictor on my cousin Dudley at the zoo once — long story — but it was telling me it had never seen Brazil and I sort of set it free without meaning to that was before I knew I was a wizard —" **

"**A boa constrictor told you it had never seen Brazil?" Ron repeated faintly. **

"**So?" said Harry. "I bet loads of people here can do it." **

"**Oh, no they can't," said Ron. "It's not a very common gift. Harry, this is bad."**

"**What's bad?" said Harry, starting to feel quite angry. "What's wrong with everyone? Listen, if I hadn't told that snake not to attack Justin —" **

"What's wrong with _us_?" Someone mutters, while many of the Gryffindors glare in the general direction the voice came from.

"**Oh, that's what you said to it?" **

"**What d'you mean? You were there — you heard me —" **

"**I heard you speaking Parseltongue," said Ron. "Snake language. You could have been saying anything — no wonder Justin panicked, you sounded like you were egging the snake on or something — it was creepy, you know —" **

**Harry gaped at him. **

"**I spoke a different language? But — I didn't realize — how can I speak a language without knowing I can speak it?" **

**Ron shook his head. Both he and Hermione were looking as though someone had died. Harry couldn't see what was so terrible. **

"**D'you want to tell me what's wrong with stopping a massive snake biting off Justin's head?" he said. "What does it matter how I did it as long as Justin doesn't have to join the Headless Hunt?" **

"**It matters," said Hermione, speaking at last in a hushed voice, "because being able to talk to snakes was what Salazar Slytherin was famous for. That's why the symbol of Slytherin House is a serpent." **

**Harry's mouth fell open. **

"**Exactly," said Ron. "And now the whole school's going to think you're his great-great-great-great-grandson or something —" **

"**But I'm not," said Harry, with a panic he couldn't quite explain. **

"Well, uhm, actually—" James chuckles, running his fingers through his hair as everyone stares at him in shock.

"Wh-what?" Harry replies, his own mouth open in surprise.

"You _are_ a descendent of him. But I mean, he's not the only founder you're a descendent of."

"Wh—what?" Harry repeats, while James brow furrows.

"Don't you know? I mean, didn't Albus—" James stops, when he looks over at Albus, before looking at Sirius, who looks like an actual grim, before grimacing himself.

"We're totally going to have to talk about all of this!"

"**You'll find that hard to prove," said Hermione. "He lived about a thousand years ago; for all we know, you could be." **

"Oh, wow. I hate myself, sometimes." Hermione whispers, still in shock.

**Harry lay awake for hours that night. **

"I'm obviously going to be doing the same tonight."

**Through a gap in the curtains around his four-poster he watched snow starting to drift past the tower window and wondered… Could he be a descendant of Salazar Slytherin? He didn't know anything about his father's family, after all. The Dursleys had always forbidden questions about his wizarding relatives. **

**Quietly, Harry tried to say something in Parseltongue. The words wouldn't come. It seemed he had to be face-to-face with a snake to do it. **

**But I'm in Gryffindor, Harry thought. The Sorting Hat wouldn't have put me in here if I had Slytherin blood… **

**Ah, said a nasty little voice in his brain, but the Sorting Hat wanted to put you in Slytherin, don't you remember? **

"Oh, don't think of it like that, man." Justin says quietly, wincing.

**Harry turned over. He'd see Justin the next day in Herbology and he'd explain that he'd been calling the snake off, not egging it on, which (he thought angrily, pummeling his pillow) any fool should have realized. **

**By next morning, however, the snow that had begun in the night had turned into a blizzard so thick that the last Herbology lesson of the term was canceled: Professor Sprout wanted to fit socks and scarves on the Mandrakes, a tricky operation she would entrust to no one else, now that it was so important for the Mandrakes to grow quickly and revive Mrs. Norris and Colin Creevey. **

"The worst job ever!"

**Harry fretted about this next to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, while Ron and Hermione used their time off to play a game of wizard chess. **

"**For heaven's sake, Harry," said Hermione, exasperated, as one of Ron's bishops wrestled her knight off his horse and dragged him off the board. "Go and find Justin if it's so important to you." **

"She knows him so well!" Lily marvels, grinning.

**So Harry got up and left through the portrait hole, wondering where Justin might be. **

Many of the Hufflepuffs grimaced, realizing what was coming up.

**The castle was darker than it usually was in daytime because of the thick, swirling gray snow at every window.**

"I love when that happens."

**Shivering, Harry walked past classrooms where lessons were taking place, catching snatches of what was happening within. Professor McGonagall was shouting at someone who, by the sound of it, had turned his friend into a badger. **

"POTTER!"

"Sorry." Harry shrugs, grinning.

**Resisting the urge to take a look, Harry walked on by, thinking that Justin might be using his free time to catch up on some work, and deciding to check the library first. A group of the Hufflepuffs who should have been in Herbology were indeed sitting at the back of the library, but they didn't seem to be working. Between the long lines of high bookshelves, Harry could see that their heads were close together and they were having what looked like an absorbing conversation. He couldn't see whether Justin was among them. He was walking toward them when something of what they were saying met his ears, and he paused to listen, hidden in the Invisibility section. **

"How ironic."

"**So anyway," a stout boy was saying, "I told Justin to hide up in our dormitory. I mean to say, if Potter's marked him down as his next victim, it's best if he keeps a low profile for a while. Of course, Justin's been waiting for something like this to happen ever since he let slip to Potter he was Muggle-born. Justin actually told him he'd been down for Eton. That's not the kind of thing you bandy about with Slytherin's heir on the loose, is it?" **

"Oh, bloody Merlin. You really have not one ounce of evidence, you realize this right? Aren't you lot suppose to be _fair_? You don't sound like it to me!" Lily rants.

"**You definitely think it is Potter, then, Ernie?" said a girl with blonde pigtails anxiously. **

"**Hannah," said the stout boy solemnly, "he's a Parselmouth. Everyone knows that's the mark of a Dark wizard. Have you ever heard of a decent one who could talk to snakes? They called Slytherin himself Serpent-tongue." **

"Imagine how that would go over with the ladies!" Fred grins, while Charlie snorts, Bill smirks and Harry blushes.

**There was some heavy murmuring at this, and Ernie went on, "Remember what was written on the wall? Enemies of the Heir, Beware. Potter had some sort of run-in with Filch. Next thing we know, Filch's cat's attacked. That first year, Creevey, was annoying Potter at the Quidditch match, taking pictures of him while he was lying in the mud. Next thing we know — Creevey's been attacked." **

"**He always seems so nice, though," said Hannah uncertainly, "and, well, he's the one who made You-Know-Who disappear. He can't be all bad, can he?" **

"Exactly!"

**Ernie lowered his voice mysteriously, the Hufflepuffs bent closer, and Harry edged nearer so that he could catch Ernie's words. **

"**No one knows how he survived that attack by You-Know-Who. I mean to say, he was only a baby when it happened. He should have been blasted into smithereens. Only a really powerful Dark wizard could have survived a curse like that." **

"YOU JUST SAID HE WAS A BABY. NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT BEING DARK, UNTIL THEY CHOSE TO BE A DARK WIZARD. HOW COULD HE POSSIBLY KNOW, IF HE WAS A BABY, IF HE WAS A BLOODY DARK WIZARD!" Lily shouts, standing up, while many people flinch and cover their ears.

"Lily dear, we know, we understand. Please don't burst our eardrums."

**He dropped his voice until it was barely more than a whisper, and said, "That's probably why You- Know-Who wanted to kill him in the first place. Didn't want another Dark Lord competing with him. I wonder what other powers Potter's been hiding?" **

**Harry couldn't take anymore.**

"Neither can I."

**Clearing his throat loudly, he stepped out from behind the bookshelves. If he hadn't been feeling so angry, he would have found the sight that greeted him funny: Every one of the Hufflepuffs looked as though they had been Petrified by the sight of him, and the color was draining out of Ernie's face. **

"How angry were you?"

"Bloody furious!"

"**Hello," said Harry. "I'm looking for Justin Finch-Fletchley." The Hufflepuffs' worst fears had clearly been confirmed. They all looked fearfully at Ernie. **

"**What do you want with him?" said Ernie in a quavering voice. **

"**I wanted to tell him what really happened with that snake at the Dueling Club," said Harry. **

**Ernie bit his white lips and then, taking a deep breath, said, "We were all there. We saw what happened." **

"**Then you noticed that after I spoke to it, the snake backed off?" said Harry. **

"**All I saw," said Ernie stubbornly, though he was trembling as he spoke, "was you speaking Parseltongue and chasing the snake toward Justin."**

"The snake turned away from the boy though, to look at my son!"

"**I didn't chase it at him!" Harry said, his voice shaking with anger. "It didn't even touch him!"**

"**It was a very near miss," said Ernie. "And in case you're getting ideas," he added hastily, "I might tell you that you can trace my family back through nine generations of witches and warlocks and my blood's as pure as anyone's, so —" **

"Do you all forget his best friend is a bloody muggleborn? Or his mother? Or—"

"LILY! ENOUGH!" James interrupts, his fists clenching, while Lily stops. "It's just making me angrier, and we know bad things happen—" Lily stops James from speaking by putting her hand on his.

"**- I don't care what sort of blood you've got!" said Harry fiercely. "Why would I want to attack Muggle-borns?" **

"**I've heard you hate those Muggles you live with," said Ernie swiftly. **

"**It's not possible to live with the Dursleys and not hate them," said Harry. "I'd like to see you try it." **

"Err, yes, Harry—"

**He turned on his heel and stormed out of the library, earning himself a reproving glare from Madam Pince, who was polishing the gilded cover of a large spellbook. Harry blundered up the corridor, barely noticing where he was going, he was in such a fury. The result was that he walked into something very large and solid, which knocked him backward onto the floor.**

"**Oh, hello, Hagrid," Harry said, looking up. **

**Hagrid's face was entirely hidden by a woolly, snow-covered balaclava, but it couldn't possibly be anyone else, as he filled most of the corridor in his moleskin overcoat. A dead rooster was hanging from one of his massive, gloved hands. **

James wrinkled his nose, and many of the younger students gasped.

"**All righ', Harry?" he said, pulling up the balaclava so he could speak. "Why aren't yeh in class?" **

"**Canceled," said Harry, getting up. "What're you doing in here?" **

**Hagrid held up the limp rooster. **

"**Second one killed this term," he explained. "It's either foxes or a Blood-Suckin Bugbear, an' I need the Headmaster's permission ter put a charm around the hen coop."  
**

**He peered more closely at Harry from under his thick, snowflecked eyebrows. **

"**Yeh sure yeh're all righ'? Yeh look all hot an' bothered —" **

**Harry couldn't bring himself to repeat what Ernie and the rest of the Hufflepuffs had been saying about him. **

"I was upset. I hate being upset!" Harry pouted, clutching Sirius' fur, while Sirius licks his face in order to calm him down.

"**It's nothing," he said. "I'd better get going, Hagrid, it's Transfiguration next and I've got to pick up my books." **

**He walked off, his mind still full of what Ernie had said about him. **

"_**Justin's been waiting for something like this to happen ever since he let slip to Potter he was Muggle-born…" **_

**Harry stamped up the stairs and turned along another corridor, which was particularly dark; the torches had been extinguished by a strong, icy draft that was blowing through a loose windowpane. He was halfway down the passage when he tripped headlong over something lying on the floor. **

"Oh no, please don't let him be in the wrong place at the wrong time." James groans.

**He turned to squint at what he'd fallen over and felt as though his stomach had dissolved. **

**Justin Finch-Fletchley was lying on the floor, rigid and cold, a look of shock frozen on his face, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. And that wasn't all. Next to him was another figure, the strangest sight Harry had ever seen. **

**It was Nearly Headless Nick, no longer pearly-white and transparent, but black and smoky, floating immobile and horizontal, six inches off the floor. His head was half off and his face wore an expression of shock identical to Justin's. **

"OH!" Lily says, interrupting everyone, who watches as she begins writing things down quite quickly. James looks over her shoulder, surprised to see she's figuring it out, before rolling his eyes at himself, thinking that of course she's figured it out.

**Harry got to his feet, his breathing fast and shallow, his heart doing a kind of drumroll against his ribs. He looked wildly up and down the deserted corridor and saw a line of spiders scuttling as fast as they could away from the bodies. **

"Definitely makes sense," Lily mutters.

**The only sounds were the muffled voices of teachers from the classes on either side. **

**He could run, and no one would ever know he had been there. But he couldn't just leave them lying here… He had to get help… Would anyone believe he hadn't had anything to do with this? **

"Probably not."

**As he stood there, panicking, a door right next to him opened with a bang. Peeves the Poltergeist came shooting out. **

"Well, shit."

"**Why, it's potty wee Potter!" cackled Peeves, knocking Harry's glasses askew as he bounced past him. "What's Potter up to? Why's Potter lurking —" **

"Not good."

**Peeves stopped, halfway through a midair somersault. Upside down, he spotted Justin and Nearly Headless Nick. He flipped the right way up, filled his lungs and, before Harry could stop him, screamed, "ATTACK! ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NO MORTAL OR GHOST IS SAFE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! ATTAAAACK!" **

"Damn."

**Crash — crash — crash — door after door flew open along the corridor and people flooded out. For several long minutes, there was a scene of such confusion that Justin was in danger of being squashed and people kept standing in Nearly Headless Nick. Harry found himself pinned against the wall as the teachers shouted for quiet. Professor McGonagall came running, followed by her own class, one of whom still had black-and-white-striped hair. **

Many snorted, though it wasn't nearly as loud as it would've been.

**She used her wand to set off a loud bang, which restored silence, and ordered everyone back into their classes. No sooner had the scene cleared somewhat than Ernie the Hufflepuff arrived, panting, on the scene. **

"**Caught in the act!" Ernie yelled, his face stark white, pointing his finger dramatically at Harry. **

"**That will do, Macmillan!" said Professor McGonagall sharply. **

**Peeves was bobbing overhead, now grinning wickedly, surveying the scene; Peeves always loved chaos. As the teachers bent over Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, examining them, Peeves broke into song: **

"**Oh, Potter, you rotter, oh, what have you done, You're killing off' students, you think it's good fun —" **

"Seriously Peeves? This is how you treat my son? Have you forgotten who I am?" James questions, his eyes following the poltergeist, who had appeared.

"**That's enough Peeves!" barked Professor McGonagall, and Peeves zoomed away backward, with his tongue out at Harry. **

**Justin was carried up to the hospital wing by Professor Flitwick and Professor Sinistra of the Astronomy department, but nobody seemed to know what to do for Nearly Headless Nick. In the end, Professor McGonagall conjured a large fan out of thin air, which she gave to Ernie with instructions to waft Nearly Headless Nick up the stairs. This Ernie did, fanning Nick along like a silent black hovercraft. This left Harry and Professor McGonagall alone together. **

"**This way, Potter," she said. **

"**Professor," said Harry at once, "I swear I didn't —" **

"**This is out of my hands, Potter," said Professor McGonagall curtly. **

**They marched in silence around a corner and she stopped before a large and extremely ugly stone gargoyle. **

"Oh. Oh dear."

"**Lemon drop!" she said. This was evidently a password, because the gargoyle sprang suddenly to life and hopped aside as the wall behind him split in two. Even full of dread for what was coming, Harry couldn't fail to be amazed. Behind the wall was a spiral staircase that was moving smoothly upward, like an escalator. As he and Professor McGonagall stepped onto it, Harry heard the wall thud closed behind them. They rose upward in circles, higher and higher, until at last, slightly dizzy, Harry saw a gleaming oak door ahead, with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffin. **

**He knew now where he was being taken. This must be where Dumbledore lived.**

Mad-Eye stopped reading, letting the book float away from him, and towards Charlie, who grabbed it in excitement. However, it was a long time before he started reading, as Minerva had stood up and stared at the students in question.

"I understand that things were tough, and many of you were frighten, but to automatically assume something about someone, just because they speak a language you can't—"

"But professor, it was associa—"

"I truly don't care, Macmillan! You should've known better!" Minerva snapped, while Ernie flinched, somewhat thankful she wasn't in charge of the Hufflepuff house.

"I hope you realize what you've all done, and you're lucky you can't get detentions or points taken off!" She finished, before letting Charlie read on.


	32. Chapter 32

**Authors Note: **I bring to you two chapters (I thought three, but nope.) More chapters will be upload within the week, and the third book will be started, I promise, but for now, you've got two chapters. Enjoy.

* * *

"**CHAPTER TWELVE, The Polyjuice Potion"**

"You mean we'll finally get to see how it went?"

"I'm more curious about what Dumbles says,"

**They stepped off the stone staircase at the top, and Professor McGonagall rapped on the door. It opened silently and they entered. **

"It always weird how it opens silently."

"Or without anyone opening it."

**Professor McGonagall told Harry to wait and left him there, alone. **

"To his doom?"

**Harry looked around. One thing was certain: of all the teachers' offices Harry had visited so far this year, Dumbledore's was by far the most interesting.**

"Always will be. You don't get to be his age without collecting _something_."

**If he hadn't been scared out of his wits that he was about to be thrown out of school, he would have been very pleased to have a chance to look around it. **

"Mate, you won't be thrown out of school." Neville sighs, smiling.

**It was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. **

"Noises?" A second year asks, puzzled.

**A number of curious silver instruments stood on spindle legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke.**

"You better not mean—"

"Oh, I think he does."

**The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames. **

"You mean eavesdropping?" Harry murmurs, crossing his arms across his chest.

**There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk, and, sitting on a shelf behind it, a shabby, tattered wizard's hat — the Sorting Hat. **

"Claw-footed desk? Who in the bloody name of Merlin has a—"

**Harry hesitated. He cast a wary eye around the sleeping witches and wizards on the walls. Surely it couldn't hurt if he took the hat down and tried it on again? Just to see… just to make sure it had put him in the right House. **

"Harry!" Hermione whispers, heartbroken. Everyone begins to stir about, surprised at how their views of Harry were truly taken by the kid himself.

**He walked quietly around the desk, lifted the hat from its shelf, and lowered it slowly onto his head. It was much too large and slipped down over his eyes, just as it had done the last time he'd put it on. Harry stared at the black inside of the hat, waiting. Then a small voice said in his ear, "Bee in your bonnet, Harry Potter?"**

Many people snorted.

"**Er, yes," Harry muttered. "Er — sorry to bother you — I wanted to ask —" **

"Of course you're sorry to be a bother, Harry." James mutters sadly.

"**You've been wondering whether I put you in the right House," said the hat smartly. "Yes… you were particularly difficult to place. But I stand by what I said before —" Harry's heart leapt — "you would have done well in Slytherin —" **

"Not what he wants to hear, hat."

**Harry's stomach plummeted. He grabbed the point of the hat and pulled it off. It hung limply in his hand, grubby and faded. Harry pushed it back onto its shelf, feeling sick. **

"Oh, baby."

"**You're wrong," he said aloud to the still and silent hat.**

"You tell 'im son!"

**It didn't move. Harry backed away, watching it. Then a strange, gagging noise behind him made him wheel around. **

**He wasn't alone after all. Standing on a golden perch behind the door was a decrepit-looking bird that resembled a half-plucked turkey. **

"A phoenix!"

**Harry stared at it and the bird looked balefully back, making its gagging noise again. Harry thought it looked very ill. Its eyes were dull and, even as Harry watched, a couple more feathers fell out of its tail. **

**Harry was just thinking that all he needed was for Dumbledore's pet bird to die while he was alone in the office with it, when the bird burst into flames. **

"Oh, the irony of it." James snorts, shaking his head, trying not to laugh at his son.

**Harry yelled in shock and backed away into the desk. He looked feverishly around in case there was a glass of water somewhere but couldn't see one;**

"What in the name of Merlin would that have done, Potter?"

"Raised. By. Muggles."

**The bird, meanwhile, had become a fireball; it gave one loud shriek and next second there was nothing but a smoldering pile of ash on the floor. The office door opened. Dumbledore came in, looking very somber. **

"**Professor," Harry gasped. "Your bird — I couldn't do anything — he just caught fire —" **

**To Harry's astonishment, Dumbledore smiled. **

"**About time, too," he said. "He's been looking dreadful for days; I've been telling him to get a move on." **

**He chuckled at the stunned look on Harry's face. **

"**Fawkes is a phoenix, Harry. Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes. Watch him…" **

**Harry looked down in time to see a tiny, wrinkled, newborn bird poke its head out of the ashes. It was quite as ugly as the old one. **

"Yes, they are quite ugly when they're dying."

"**It's a shame you had to see him on a Burning Day," said Dumbledore, seating himself behind his desk. "He's really very handsome most of the time, wonderful red and gold plumage. Fascinating creatures, phoenixes. They can carry immensely heavy loads, their tears have healing powers, and they make highly faithful pets." **

**In the shock of Fawkes catching fire, Harry had forgotten what he was there for, but it all came back to him as Dumbledore settled himself in the high chair behind the desk and fixed Harry with his penetrating, light-blue stare. **

"You think he was reading your mind?" Hermione questions, biting her lip in worry.

"I don't doubt it." Harry whispers back, petting Sirius, who had began to growl.

**Before Dumbledore could speak another word, however, the door of the office flew open with an almighty bang and Hagrid burst in, a wild look in his eyes, his balaclava perched on top of his shaggy black head and the dead rooster still swinging from his hand. **

"What are you doing there, Hagrid?"

"**It wasn' Harry, Professor Dumbledore!" said Hagrid urgently. "I was talkin' ter him seconds before that kid was found, he never had time, sir —" **

"Oh, Hagrid, thank you so much." Lily whispers, shaking her leg.

**Dumbledore tried to say something, but Hagrid went ranting on, waving the rooster around in his agitation, sending feathers everywhere. **

Many people snorted at the image this created.

"**it can't've bin him, I'll swear it in front o' the Ministry o' Magic if I have to." **

"THANK YOU!"

"**Hagrid, I —" **

"— **yeh've got the wrong boy, sir, I know Harry never —" **

"Hagrid, I think he gets the point." James laughs.

"**Hagrid!" said Dumbledore loudly. "I do not think that Harry attacked those people." **

"**Oh," said Hagrid, the rooster falling limply at his side. "Right. I'll wait outside then, Headmaster." And he stomped out looking embarrassed. **

"**You don't think it was me, Professor?" Harry repeated hopefully as Dumbledore brushed rooster feathers off his desk. **

"**No, Harry, I don't," said Dumbledore, though his face was somber again. "But I still want to talk to you." **

**Harry waited nervously while Dumbledore considered him, the tips of his long fingers together. **

"**I must ask you, Harry, whether there is anything you'd like to tell me," he said gently. **

"**Anything at all." **

"Mind reading indeed!" Hermione interrupts, angry on behalf of Harry, her fists clenching together.

**Harry didn't know what to say. He thought of Malfoy shouting, "You'll be next, Mudbloods!" and of the Polyjuice Potion simmering away in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Then he thought of the disembodied voice he had heard twice and remembered what Ron had said: "Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, even in the wizarding world." He thought, too, about what everyone was saying about him, and his growing dread that he was somehow connected with Salazar Slytherin… **

"**No," said Harry. "There isn't anything, Professor…"**

"He must've known you were lying."

**The double attack on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick turned what had hitherto been nervousness into real panic. Curiously, it was Nearly Headless Nick's fate that seemed to worry people most. What could possibly do that to a ghost? people asked each other; what terrible power could harm someone who was already dead? There was almost a stampede to book seats on the Hogwarts Express so that students could go home for Christmas. **

"**At this rate, we'll be the only ones left," Ron told Harry and Hermione. "Us, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. What a jolly holiday it's going to be." **

"No doubt about it."

**Crabbe and Goyle, who always did whatever Malfoy did, had signed up to stay over the holidays, too. But Harry was glad that most people were leaving. **

"Oh yes, I'd imagine." Snape snarled, while Mad-Eye grinned.

"You'd make a good auror, Potter."

**He was tired of people skirting around him in the corridors, as though he was about to sprout fangs or spit poison; tired of all the muttering, pointing, and hissing as he passed. **

Everyone began looking guilty again at this sentence, while Sirius snarled.

**Fred and George, however, found all this very funny. They went out of their way to march ahead of Harry down the corridors, shouting, "Make way for the Heir of Slytherin, seriously evil wizard coming through…" **

"Well, it was all poppycock. Someone like—"

"You being the heir to the guy who had a descendent—"

"Of the person that killed your parents."

**Percy was deeply disapproving of this behavior. **

"Why does this not surprise me?"

"**It is not a laughing matter," he said coldly. **

"**Oh, get out of the way, Percy," said Fred. "Harry's in a hurry." **

"**Yeah, he's off to the Chamber of Secrets for a cup of tea with his fanged servant," said George, chortling. **

Harry snorts at this a few times, before full out laughing, clutching his sides while having Sirius support him.

"Shit, thanks guys!" He laughs his eyes watering by that point.

**Ginny didn't find it amusing either. **

"And now we know why, too." George mutters, while Ginny blushes.

"**Oh, don't," she wailed every time Fred asked Harry loudly who he was planning to attack next, or when George pretended to ward Harry off with a large clove of garlic when they met. **

**Harry didn't mind; it made him feel better that Fred and George, at least, thought the idea of his being Slytherin's heir was quite ludicrous. But their antics seemed to be aggravating Draco Malfoy, who looked increasingly sour each time he saw them at it. **

"Also not surprising."

"Though confusing."

"**It's because he's bursting to say it's really him," said Ron knowingly. "You know how he hates anyone beating him at anything, and you're getting all the credit for his dirty work." **

"**Not for long," said Hermione in a satisfied tone. **

"YES!"

"**The Polyjuice Potion's nearly ready. We'll be getting the truth out of him any day now." **

"FINALLY!"

"THANK MERLIN!"

"WONDERFUL!"

**At last the term ended, and a silence deep as the snow on the grounds descended on the castle. Harry found it peaceful, rather than gloomy, and enjoyed the fact that he, Hermione, and the Weasleys had the run of Gryffindor Tower, which meant they could play Exploding Snap loudly without bothering anyone, and practice dueling in private.**

"Being the only one in a common room sure does sound like fun," Hannah Abbott interrupted, having been mostly silent during the readings.

"Having a tower to yourself sure is nice," James sighs, smiling.

**Fred, George, and Ginny had chosen to stay at school rather than visit Bill in Egypt with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Percy, who disapproved of what he termed their childish behavior, didn't spend much time in the Gryffindor common room. **

"Do you think this is when he started pulling away from us?" Ginny asks quietly, her brow furrowed.

"I guess this is the beginning of the family rift between the Weasleys, hey Snuffles?" Remus mutters, chewing on his bottom lip.

**He had already told them pompously that he was only staying over Christmas because it was his duty as a prefect to support the teachers during this troubled time. **

"Not to spend time with the family?" James asks, aghast.

"Yeah, what about your family?" A first year questions, looking around in shock.

"Not because, you know, most of his family is there." Harry says furiously, before glaring at Percy – "You should be fu—" Sirius barks here – "Freaking thankful that your whole family is alive, that you _get_ to spend time with them, that they're there for you to spend time with and that you should not take that for freaking granted." Harry finishes, his eyes dark as Hermione slips her hand into his and Percy's eyes widen while Lily quietly cries.

**Christmas morning dawned, cold and white. Harry and Ron, the only ones left in their dormitory, were woken very early by Hermione, who burst in, fully dressed and carrying presents for them both. **

"How can girls come up the boys dorm, but not the opposite way around?" Harry questions, tilting his head while everyone snorts and Harry blushes at people suggesting he wanted to go visit Hermione.

"**Wake up," she said loudly, pulling back the curtains at the window. **

"**Hermione — you're not supposed to be in here —" said Ron, shielding his eyes against the light. **

"**Merry Christmas to you, too," said Hermione, throwing him his present. "I've been up for nearly an hour, adding more lacewings to the potion. It's ready." **

"Bet that wakes Harry right up!" Fred grins.

"Big Harry and—"

"George, I swear to god if you continue that sentence I will hex you!" Hermione and Ginny snap, tired of the jokes, for both entirely different reasons.

"Would you be so kind to stop with the whole, 'Harry and Hermione trash'?" Ginny nearly shouts, crossing her arms in annoyance, while everyone just stares.

**Harry sat up, suddenly wide awake. **

Everyone laughs.

"**Are you sure?" **

"Mate, it's Hermione. Of course she's sure." Seamus grins, shaking his head.

"**Positive," said Hermione, shifting Scabbers the rat so that she could sit down on the end of Ron's four-poster. "If we're going to do it, I say it should be tonight."**

"You definitely would want it to –"

"George, enough!" Molly snaps, also annoyed.

**At that moment, Hedwig swooped into the room, carrying a very small package in her beak. **

"We haven't heard much about this owl this book. Quite upsetting, since she seems to be a familiar." Lily sighs, looking around slowly while many of the females giggled at this, wanting to know what Harry's familiar was like.

"**Hello," said Harry happily as she landed on his bed. "Are you speaking to me again?" **

**She nibbled his ear in an affectionate sort of way, which was a far better present than the one that she had brought him, which turned out to be from the Dursleys. **

Sirius could be heard growling at this, while Harry could be heard mumbling, "Calm down Snuffles."

**They had sent Harry a toothpick and a note telling him to find out whether he'd be able to stay at Hogwarts for the summer vacation, too. **

"Rotten—"

"Lily dear, we know. Please let Charlie read on!"

**The rest of Harry's Christmas presents were far more satisfactory. **

"I would hope so," James mutters, glaring at the book.

**Hagrid had sent him a large tin of treacle fudge, which Harry decided to soften by the fire before eating; **

"Very smart idea," Minerva smiles patting her hands together lightly while Albus tries hard not to roll his eyes.

**Ron had given him a book called Flying with the Cannons, a book of interesting facts about his favorite Quidditch team, and Hermione had bought him a luxurious eagle-feather quill. Harry opened the last present to find a new, hand-knitted sweater from Mrs. Weasley and a large plum cake.**

"Wasn't actually that good," Harry mumbles to Ron who grins and shakes his head.

**He read her card with a fresh surge of guilt, thinking about Mr. Weasley's car (which hadn't been seen since its crash with the Whomping Willow), and the bout of rule-breaking he and Ron were planning next. **

"Don't worry son! It's for a good reason!" James says, smiling at Harry in understanding.

**No one, not even someone dreading taking Polyjuice Potion later, could fail to enjoy Christmas dinner at Hogwarts. **

"Amen to that!" Someone shouts, while Harry grimaces, realizing how false that statement turns out to be.

**The Great Hall looked magnificent. Not only were there a dozen frost-covered Christmas trees and thick streamers of holly and mistletoe crisscrossing the ceiling, but enchanted snow was falling, warm and dry, from the ceiling. **

"Sounds beautiful." Lily sighs, missing the old scenes that Hogwarts use to produce.

**Dumbledore led them in a few of his favorite carols, Hagrid booming more and more loudly with every goblet of eggnog he consumed. **

Many of the older students and the adults raised their eyebrows, knowing exactly what was in the eggnog making Hagrid sing louder.

**Percy, who hadn't noticed that Fred had bewitched his prefect badge so that it now read "Pinhead," kept asking them all what they were sniggering at. **

"Hey!" Percy shouted, while Charlie rolled his eyes.

**Harry didn't even care that Draco Malfoy was making loud, snide remark about his new sweater from the Slytherin table. With a bit of luck, Malfoy would be getting his comeuppance in a few hours' time. **

"Oh!" Lily laughs, realizing what the books were stating while -

"Oh, you are such a Marauder," James laughs, in a slight whisper, while Fred and George look on in confusion.

**Harry and Ron had barely finished their third helpings of Christmas pudding when Hermione ushered them out of the hall to finalize their plans for the evening. **

"Third helpings?" Tonks' laughs, snorting.

"Sounds like Hermione!" Cho laughs, smiling at the girl to show that there were no hard feelings between them.

"**We still need a bit of the people you're changing into," said Hermione matter-of-factly, as though she were sending them to the supermarket for laundry detergent.**

"How are they going to do that?" Tonks asks, wrinkling her nose at the thought of toenails.

"**And obviously, it'll be best if you can get something of Crabbe's and Goyle's; they're Malfoys best friends, he'll tell them anything. And we also need to make sure the real Crabbe and Goyle can't burst in on us while we're interrogating him. "**

"You really do have it all worked out, don't you?" Lily laughs, full of mirth.

"Knock them out, 'Mione!" James states, while Hermione blushes at the fact that Harry's father has started calling her by Harry's nickname for her. Harry snorts at this, while James grins and Lily smiles.

"**I've got it all worked out," she went on smoothly, ignoring Harry's and Ron's stupefied faces. She held up two plump chocolate cakes. "I've filled these with a simple Sleeping Draught. All you have to do is make sure Crabbe and Goyle find them. You know how greedy they are, they're bound to eat them. Once they're asleep, pull out a few of their hairs and hide them in a broom closet." **

"Intelligent!" Lily begins.

"My kind of daughter!" James beams, while Harry blushes and everyone stares.

"James," Remus begins, trying not to laugh, "Maybe you should give your son a break on the whole—" Remus trails, while Sirius barks and wags his tail.

"Aw, alright!" James grins, whining a little before winking at Hermione, who is giggling into Harry's shoulder.

**Harry and Ron looked incredulously at each other. **

"You don't have faith in her?" Lily questions, gasping.

"**Hermione, I don't think —" **

"**That could go seriously wrong —" **

**But Hermione had a steely glint in her eye not unlike the one Professor McGonagall sometimes had. **

"We call it her evil glint!" Harry laughs, while Hermione blushes.

"**The potion will be useless without Crabbe's and Goyle's hair," she said sternly. "You do want to investigate Malfoy, don't you?" **

"She really does know how to get what she wants, doesn't she?" Lily laughs.

"**Oh, all right, all right," said Harry. "But what about you? Whose hair are you ripping out?" **

"**I've already got mine!" said Hermione brightly, pulling a tiny bottle out of her pocket and showing them the single hair inside it. "Remember Millicent Bulstrode wrestling with me at the Dueling Club? She left this on my robes when she was trying to strangle me! And she's gone home for Christmas — so I'll just have to tell the Slytherins I've decided to come back." **

**When Hermione had bustled off to check on the Polyjuice Potion again, Ron turned to Harry with a doom-laden expression. **

"Cheer up Ronnie." Bill grins.

"**Have you ever heard of a plan where so many things could go wrong?" **

"No. But I'm sure my dad had plenty! Right?!" Harry smirks, turning to Remus who smirks back.

"Plenty. Especially when it came to your mother!" Remus laughs, with James blushing.

"You'll tell me?"

"After the stories," James interrupts, grinning. Remus nods his head, while Harry smiles, excited to hear stories about his parents.

**But to Harry's and Ron's utter amazement, stage one of the operation went just as smoothly as Hermione had said.**

"Well, duh!" Hermione laughs.

**They lurked in the deserted entrance hall after Christmas tea, waiting for Crabbe and Goyle who had remained alone at the Slytherin table, shoveling down fourth helpings of trifle. **

"They aren't serious, are they?" James laughs, while Sirius barks, and many people continue to look confused at why that is.

**Harry had perched the chocolate cakes on the end of the banisters. When they spotted Crabbe and Goyle coming out of the Great Hall, Harry and Ron hid quickly behind a suit of armor next to the front door. **

"How thick can someone get?!" James sighs, remembering all of the times he used that exact trick on the Slytherins.

"**How thick can you get?" Ron whispered ecstatically as Crabbe gleefully pointed out the cakes to Goyle and grabbed them. Grinning stupidly, they stuffed the cakes whole into their large mouths. For a moment, both of them chewed greedily, looks of triumph on their faces. Then, without the smallest change of expression, they both keeled over backward onto the floor. **

"Sudden death!" A muggleborn said, laughing.

**By far the hardest part was hiding them in the closet across the hall. Once they were safely stowed among the buckets and mops, Harry yanked out a couple of the bristles that covered Goyle's forehead and Ron pulled out several of Crabbe's hairs. They also stole their shoes, because their own were far too small for Crabbe - and Goyle-size feet. Then, still stunned at what they had just done, they sprinted up to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. **

"Well done!" Lily smiles. While not proud that her son was breaking so many rules, but proud that he was trying to save so many people. Molly eyed her carefully, which did not go unnoticed by James, who bristled lightly.

"Why so stunned?" Charlie questions, his head tilted.

"We were twelve, and hadn't truly done anything bad yet!' Ron laughs at Charlie.

**They could hardly see for the thick black smoke issuing from the stall in which Hermione was stirring the cauldron. Pulling their robes up over their faces, Harry and Ron knocked softly on the door. **

"**Hermione?" **

**They heard the scrape of the lock and Hermione emerged, shiny-faced and looking anxious. Behind her they heard the gloop gloop of the bubbling, glutinous potion. Three glass tumblers stood ready on the toilet seat. **

"Well, I'll be damned." Snape mutters, glaring.

"She has your skills with Potions, Lils." James mumbles while Lily blushes and nods her head, while Snape looks on, nauseous.

"**Did you get them?" Hermione asked breathlessly. **

**Harry showed her Goyle's hair. **

"**Good. And I sneaked these spare robes out of the laundry," Hermione said, holding up a small sack. "You'll need bigger sizes once you're Crabbe and Goyle." **

**The three of them stared into the cauldron. Close up, the potion looked like thick, dark mud, bubbling sluggishly. **

"Eugh!" Many shouted

"**I'm sure I've done everything right," said Hermione, nervously rereading the splotched page of Moste Potente Potions. "It looks like the book says it should… once we've drunk it, we'll have exactly an hour before we change back into ourselves." **

"Not a lot of time. They have to plan the next hour very carefully." Minerva states, while Remus furrows his brow.

"They forgot something." Remus says.

"What?" James replies, while everyone looks on.

"They didn't do their obvious research. Where the tower for the Snakes are, the password, the –"

"Ah." James interrupts, nodding his head, while Ron and Harry grimace

"**Now what?" Ron whispered. **

"**We separate it into three glasses and add the hairs." **

**Hermione ladled large dollops of the potion into each of the glasses. Then, her hand trembling, she shook Millicent Bulstrode's hair out of its bottle into the first glass.**

"Why was her hand trembling?" Someone asks.

"Maybe she was nervous, never having to do anything as potent as the Polyjuice?" A seventh year replies, while Lily looks on curiously.

**The potion hissed loudly like a boiling kettle and frothed madly. A second later, it had turned a sick sort of yellow. **

"**Urgh — essence of Millicent Bulstrode," said Ron, eyeing it with loathing. "Bet it tastes disgusting." **

"**Add yours, then," said Hermione. **

**Harry dropped Goyle's hair into the middle glass and Ron put Crabbe's into the last one. Both glasses hissed and frothed: Goyle's turned the khaki color of a booger, Crabbe's a dark, murky brown. **

"Eugh!"

"**Hang on," said Harry as Ron and Hermione reached for their glasses. "We'd better not all drink them in here… Once we turn into Crabbe and Goyle we won't fit. And Millicent Bulstrode's no pixie." **

"**Good thinking," said Ron, unlocking the door. "We'll take separate stalls." **

**Careful not to spill a drop of his Polyjuice Potion, Harry slipped into the middle stall. **

"**Ready?" he called. **

"**Ready," came Ron's and Hermione's voices. **

"**One — two — three —" **

**Pinching his nose, Harry drank the potion down in two large gulps. It tasted like overcooked cabbage. **

"That's disgusting!"

**Immediately, his insides started writhing as though he'd just swallowed live snakes — doubled up, he wondered whether he was going to be sick — then a burning sensation spread rapidly from his stomach to the very ends of his fingers and toes — next, bringing him gasping to all fours, came a horrible melting feeling, as the skin all over his body bubbled like hot wax — and before his eyes, his hands began to grow, the fingers thickened, the nails broadened, the knuckles were bulging like bolts — his shoulders stretched painfully and a prickling on his forehead told him that hair was creeping down toward his eyebrows — his robes ripped as his chest expanded like a barrel bursting its hoops — his feet were agony in shoes four sizes too small. **

"That is way too accurate of a description, mate." Ron shudders, remembering his own pain.

**As suddenly as it had started, everything stopped. Harry lay facedown on the stone-cold floor, listening to Myrtle gurgling morosely in the end toilet. With difficulty, he kicked off his shoes and stood up. So this was what it felt like, being Goyle. His large hand trembling, he pulled off his old robes, which were hanging a foot above his ankles, pulled on the spare ones, and laced up Goyle's boatlike shoes. He reached up to brush his hair out of his eyes and met only the short growth of wiry bristles, low on his forehead. Then he realized that his glasses were clouding his eyes because Goyle obviously didn't need them — he took them off and called, **

"**Are you two okay?" Goyle's low rasp of a voice issued from his mouth. **

"**Yeah," came the deep grunt of Crabbe from his right.**

"What about Hermione?!"

**Harry unlocked his door and stepped in front of the cracked mirror. Goyle stared back at him out of dull, deep-set eyes. Harry scratched his ear. So did Goyle. **

**Ron's door opened. They stared at each other. Except that he looked pale and shocked, Ron was indistinguishable from Crabbe, from the pudding-bowl haircut to the long, gorilla arms. **

"**This is unbelievable," said Ron, approaching the mirror and prodding Crabbe's flat nose. "Unbelievable." **

"Don't we agree!" The twins stated, their mouths open in surprise.

"**We'd better get going," said Harry, loosening the watch that was cutting into Goyle's thick wrist. "We've still got to find out where the Slytherin common room is. I only hope we can find someone to follow…" **

"I wonder why they don't have that map of yours, dear. Surely Sirius and Remus would've given it to Harry?"

"They would. Which just makes me wonder where they are!"

**Ron, who had been gazing at Harry, said, "You don't know how bizarre it is to see Goyle thinking." He banged on Hermione's door. "C'mon, we need to go —" **

"I think! Don't I?" Goyle asks, his brow furrowed, while everyone else laughs.

**A high-pitched voice answered him. **

"Way one to know something isn't right," Ron mutters, grinning.

"**I — I don't think I'm going to come after all. You go on without me." **

"**Hermione, we know Millicent Bulstrode's ugly, no one's going to know it's you —" **

"**No — really — I don't think I'll come. You two hurry up, you're wasting time —" **

**Harry looked at Ron, bewildered. **

Everyone else also looked around, bewildered, wondering why Hermione, who had been so adamant on doing the potion, wouldn't come out now that it was done and swallowed.

"**That looks more like Goyle," said Ron. "That's how he looks every time a teacher asks him a question." **

"I was actually trying to convey my 'what's wrong with Mione?' face."

"**Hermione, are you okay?" said Harry through the door. **

"See!"

"**Fine — I'm fine — go on —" Harry looked at his watch. Five of their precious sixty minutes had already passed. **

Harry furrowed his brow. "Despite it not saying so, I was worried about you, here."

"**We'll meet you back here, all right?" he said. Harry and Ron opened the door of the bathroom carefully, checked that the coast was clear, and set off. **

"**Don't swing your arms like that," Harry muttered to Ron. **

"**Eh?" **

"**Crabbe holds them sort of stiff…" **

"**How's this?" **

"**Yeah, that's better…" They went down the marble staircase. All they needed now was a Slytherin that they could follow to the Slytherin common room, but there was nobody around. **

"**Any ideas?" muttered Harry. **

"Yeah, don't do this." A first year stated, biting his lip in worry.

"**The Slytherins always come up to breakfast from over there," said Ron, nodding at the entrance to the dungeons. The words had barely left his mouth when a girl with long, curly hair emerged from the entrance. **

"**Excuse me," said Ron, hurrying up to her. "We've forgotten the way to our common room."**

"Just because you see someone coming from that direction doesn't mean they're from that house," James laughs, shaking his head in amusement.

"**I beg your pardon?" said the girl stiffly. "Our common room? I'm a Ravenclaw." **

"See what I mean?"

**She walked away, looking suspiciously back at them. Harry and Ron hurried down the stone steps into the darkness, their footsteps echoing particularly loudly as Crabbe's and Goyle's huge feet hit the floor, feeling that this wasn't going to be as easy as they had hoped. **

"When is anything ever easy for me?" Harry mumbles, looking down and petting Sirius' fur, wishing against all hope that he could just be himself this time around.

**The labyrinthine passages were deserted. They walked deeper and deeper under the school, constantly checking their watches to see how much time they had left. After a quarter of an hour, just when they were getting desperate, they heard a sudden movement ahead. **

"**Ha!" said Ron excitedly. "There's one of them now!" **

**The figure was emerging from a side room. As they hurried nearer, however, their hearts sank. It wasn't a Slytherin, it was Percy. **

"**What're you doing down here?" said Ron in surprise. **

"Ron, you've gotta act like Crabbe, not yourself!" Hermione groans.

**Percy looked affronted. "That," he said stiffly, "is none of your business. It's Crabbe, isn't it?" **

"**Wh — oh, yeah," said Ron. **

"**Well, get off to your dormitories," said Percy sternly. "It's not safe to go wandering around dark corridors these days." **

"**You are," Ron pointed out. **

"**I," said Percy, drawing himself up, "am a prefect. Nothing's about to attack me." **

Remus snorted, "Please tell me I was never like that as a prefect."

**A voice suddenly echoed behind Harry and Ron. Draco Malfoy was strolling toward them, and for the first time in his life, Harry was pleased to see him. **

"And the only time, too."

"**There you are," he drawled, looking at them. "Have you two been pigging out in the Great Hall all this time? I've been looking for you; I want to show you something really funny." **

**Malfoy glanced witheringly at Percy. **

"**And what're you doing down here, Weasley?" he sneered. Percy looked outraged. **

"**You want to show a bit more respect to a school prefect!" he said. "I don't like your attitude!" **

**Malfoy sneered and motioned for Harry and Ron to follow him. Harry almost said something apologetic to Percy but caught himself just in time. He and Ron hurried after Malfoy, who said as they turned into the next passage, "That Peter Weasley —" **

"**Percy," Ron corrected him automatically. **

"Seriously, mate, seriously?"

"**Whatever," said Malfoy. "I've noticed him sneaking around a lot lately. And I bet I know what he's up to. He thinks he's going to catch Slytherin's heir single-handed." He gave a short, derisive laugh. Harry and Ron exchanged excited looks. Malfoy paused by a stretch of bare, damp stone wall. **

"**What's the new password again?" he said to Harry. **

"**Er —" said Harry. **

"**Oh, yeah — pure-blood!" **

Everyone burst into angry laughter at this, completely surprised that the password for Slytherin could have actually been that simple.

"I think it's because they're too stupid to remember anything longer!" Ron snorts, while Malfoy glares.

**- said Malfoy, not listening, and a stone door concealed in the wall slid open. Malfoy marched through it, and Harry and Ron followed him. **

"Sounds way to easy!" Fred grimaces, interested but not wanting to be.

**The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them, and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in high-backed chairs. **

"**Wait here," said Malfoy to Harry and Ron, motioning them to a pair of empty chairs set back from the fire. "I'll go and get it my father's just sent it to me —" **

"Wait, what?" Someone asks, absolutely confused.

**Wondering what Malfoy was going to show them, Harry and Ron sat down, doing their best to look at home. **

"Did it work?" Arthur questions, a small smirk on his face.

"Enough to fool Malfoy, obviously." Remus laughs.

**Malfoy came back a minute later, holding what looked like a newspaper clipping. He thrust it under Ron's nose. **

"What's so special about a newspaper clipping?" Someone snorts, while another person says, "Malfoy really must not have anything fun to do if he looks forward to clippings!"

"**That'll give you a laugh," he said. **

**Harry saw Ron's eyes widen in shock. He read the clipping quickly, gave a very forced laugh, and handed it to Harry. It had been clipped out of the **_**Daily Prophet**_**, and it said: **

"Oh, it's going to be about Arthur, isn't it?" James groans.

_**INQUIRY AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC **_

_**Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, was today fined fifty Galleons for bewitching a Muggle car. Mr. Lucius Malfoy, a governor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the enchanted car crashed earlier this year, called today for Mr. Weasley's resignation. **_

"Of course he did, because –"

"Not now, please not now." Remus interrupts, wanting this scene over and done with. Charlie continues to read, with a grimace on his face, though.

"_**Weasley has brought the Ministry into disrepute," Mr. Malfoy told our reporter. "He is clearly unfit to draw up our laws and his ridiculous Muggle Protection Act should be scrapped immediately." Mr. Weasley was unavailable for comment, although his wife told reporters to clear off or she'd set the family ghoul on them. **_

"**Well?" said Malfoy impatiently as Harry handed the clipping back to him. "Don't you think it's funny?" **

"You're such a brat!" Tonks snaps, snarling.

"**Ha, ha," said Harry bleakly. **

"**Arthur Weasley loves Muggles so much he should snap his wand in half and go and join them," said Malfoy scornfully. "You'd never know the Weasleys were pure-bloods, the way they behave." **

All of the Weasley's could be heard growling or snarling at this, except for Percy, who looked ashamed.

**Ron's — or rather, Crabbe's — face was contorted with fury. **

"**What's up with you, Crabbe?" snapped Malfoy. **

"**Stomachache," Ron grunted. **

"**Well, go up to the hospital wing and give all those Mudbloods a kick from me," **

"You rotten bastard!" Someone shouts.

**- said Malfoy, snickering. "You know, I'm surprised the Daily Prophet hasn't reported all these attacks yet," he went on thoughtfully. "I suppose Dumbledore's trying to hush it all up. He'll be sacked if it doesn't stop soon. Father's always said old Dumbledore's the worst thing that's ever happened to this place. He loves Muggle-borns. A decent headmaster would never've let slime like that Creevey in." **

Everyone is completely quiet at this sentence, as all of the Malfoy's turn red, Narcissa's from anger, though.

**Malfoy started taking pictures with an imaginary camera and did a cruel but accurate impression of Colin: "'Potter, can I have your picture, Potter? Can I have your autograph? Can I lick your shoes, please, Potter?"' He dropped his hands and looked at Harry and Ron.**

"**What's the matter with you two?" **

"Do you always expect them to find everything you do and say funny, Malfoy." Bill snaps, his hands white with anger.

**Far too late, Harry and Ron forced themselves to laugh, but Malfoy seemed satisfied; perhaps Crabbe and Goyle were always slow on the uptake.  
**

"**Saint Potter, the Mudbloods' friend," said Malfoy slowly. "He's another one with no proper wizard feeling, or he wouldn't go around with that jumped up Granger Mudblood. And people think he's Slytherin's heir!" **

"He has no 'proper wizard feeling' because that old Dumbledore you think so lowly about is actually not what he seems!" Lily snaps, trying to calm herself down, at the same time that Harry growls, "Leave 'Mione out of something for once in your life, Malfoy!"

**Harry and Ron waited with bated breath: Malfoy was surely seconds away from telling them it was him — but then "I wish I knew who it is," said Malfoy petulantly. "I could help them."**

Cries of outrage were heard throughout the hall, and if someone had been standing outside, they would've thought that bombs were dropping. Draco looked down grimacing while glaring out of the corner of his eye, while Lucius glared openly. Narcissa had grown a deeper shade of red, had her fists clenched together, and was eyeing her wand, like she wanted to hex her own family.

**Ron's jaw dropped so that Crabbe looked even more clueless than usual. Fortunately, Malfoy didn't notice, and Harry, thinking fast, said, "You must have some idea who's behind it all…" **

"**You know I haven't, Goyle, how many times do I have to tell you?" snapped Malfoy. "And Father won't tell me anything about the last time the Chamber was opened either. Of course, it was fifty years ago, so it was before his time, but he knows all about it, and he says that it was all kept quiet and it'll look suspicious if I know too much about it. But I know one thing — last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, a Mudblood died. So I bet it's a matter of time before one of them's killed this time… I hope it's Granger," he said with relish. **

Charlie stopped reading completely when he noticed that Harry was openly snarling by now, and Ron and Neville had been trying to hold him back to stop him from attacking Draco, while the dog had bit Harry's sleeves, trying to calm him down somehow.

**Ron was clenching Crabbe's gigantic fists. Feeling that it would be a bit of a giveaway if Ron punched Malfoy, Harry shot him a warning look and said, "D'you know if the person who opened the Chamber last time was caught?" **

"**Oh, yeah… whoever it was was expelled," said Malfoy. "They're probably still in Azkaban." **

Hagrid shivered, which James noticed and arched an eyebrow at.

"**Azkaban?" said Harry, puzzled. **

"**Azkaban — the wizard prison, Goyle," said Malfoy, looking at him in disbelief "Honestly, if you were any slower, you'd be going backward." **

**He shifted restlessly in his chair and said, "Father says to keep my head down and let the Heir of Slytherin get on with it. He says the school needs ridding of all the Mudblood filth, but not to get mixed up in it. Of course, he's got a lot on his plate at the moment. You know the Ministry of Magic raided our manor last week?" **

"Good!" Arthur shouts, getting tired of hearing about the Malfoy's.

**Harry tried to force Goyle's dull face into a look of concern. **

"**Yeah…" said Malfoy. "Luckily, they didn't find much. Father's got some very valuable Dark Arts stuff. But luckily, we've got our own secret chamber under the drawing-room floor —" **

"A shame we can't do anything about it." Arthur stated.

"During the books, you're right. However, there's no doubt Lucius has dark relics there still, and we will _definitely_ be looking into after the books." Amelia interrupts, sending a glare to the older blond.

"**Ho!" said Ron. **

**Malfoy looked at him. So did Harry. Ron blushed. Even his hair was turning red. **

"Is the hour up already?" Someone asks, looking around as if the answer would appear out of thin air.

**His nose was also slowly lengthening — their hour was up, Ron was turning back into himself, and from the look of horror he was suddenly giving Harry, he must be, too. **

**They both jumped to their feet.  
**

"**Medicine for my stomach," Ron grunted, and without further ado they sprinted the length of the Slytherin common room, hurled themselves at the stone wall, and dashed up the passage, hoping against hope that Malfoy hadn't noticed anything. **

"He was probably too daft!" Ron mutters while Harry laughs.

**Harry could feel his feet slipping around in Goyle's huge shoes and had to hoist up his robes as he shrank; they crashed up the steps into the dark entrance hall, which was full of a muffled pounding coming from the closet where they'd locked Crabbe and Goyle. Leaving their shoes outside the closet door, they sprinted in their socks up the marble staircase toward Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. **

"**Well, it wasn't a complete waste of time," Ron panted, closing the bathroom door behind them. "I know we still haven't found out who's doing the attacks, but I'm going to write to Dad tomorrow and tell him to check under the Malfoys' drawing room." **

"Did anything come of it, Dad?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"It will now though!" Amelia states.

**Harry checked his face in the cracked mirror. He was back to normal. He put his glasses on as Ron hammered on the door of Hermione's stall. **

"**Hermione, come out, we've got loads to tell you —" **

"**Go away!" Hermione squeaked. Harry and Ron looked at each other. **

As did many others, confused as to why Hermione was so upset.

"**What's the matter?" said Ron. "You must be back to normal by now, we are." **

**But Moaning Myrtle glided suddenly through the stall door. Harry had never seen her looking so happy. **

"Something bad must've happened then. She's never happy unless something bad happens." Lily grimaced.

"**Ooooooh, wait till you see," she said. "It's awful —" **

**They heard the lock slide back and Hermione emerged, sobbing, her robes pulled up over her head. **

"**What's up?" said Ron uncertainly. "Have you still got Millicent's nose or something?" **

**Hermione let her robes fall and Ron backed into the sink. **

**Her face was covered in black fur. Her eyes had turned yellow and there were long, pointed ears poking through her hair. **

"SHE'S A CAT!" Someone laughs, while Harry glares, swinging his arm around Hermione, while the person who shouted shrinks back.

"**It was a c-cat hair!" she howled. "M-Millicent Bulstrode m-must have a cat! And the p-potion isn't supposed to be used for animal transformations!" **

"**Uh-oh," said Ron. **

"Indeed, Weasley." Mad-Eye states, while Charlie lets the book fall away from him. Within minutes, the book ended up towards Luna Lovegood, who grabbed it smiling, and turned to the right page.

"**You'll be teased something dreadful," said Myrtle happily.  
**

"**It's okay, Hermione," said Harry quickly. "We'll take you up to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey never asks too many questions…" **

**It took a long time to persuade Hermione to leave the bathroom. Moaning Myrtle sped them on their way with a hearty guffaw. "Wait till everyone finds out you've got a tail!"**


	33. Chapter 33

"**CHAPTER THIRTEEN, The Very Secret Diary" **Harry tensed at this sentence and sighed, releasing all of his tension.

**Hermione remained in the hospital wing for several weeks. **

"You know, I think I vaguely remember about that time," Hooch mutters, shaking her head.

**There was a flurry of rumor about her disappearance when the rest of the school arrived back from their Christmas holidays, because of course everyone thought that she had been attacked. So many students filed past the hospital wing trying to catch a glimpse of her that Madam Pomfrey took out her curtains again and placed them around Hermione's bed, to spare her the shame of being seen with a furry face. **

"Thank goodness for that," Hermione mutters, while many people smirked.

**Harry and Ron went to visit her every evening. When the new term started, they brought her each day's homework. **

"We knew you'd want it. You're Hermione!" Ron laughs.

"**If I'd sprouted whiskers, I'd take a break from work," said Ron, tipping a stack of books onto Hermione's bedside table one evening. **

"**Don't be silly, Ron, I've got to keep up," said Hermione briskly. **

"You would've known everything, anyways." Ron mutters, smirking at his friend, who sticks her tongue out at him.

**Her spirits were greatly improved by the fact that all the hair had gone from her face and her eyes were turning slowly back to brown. "I don't suppose you've got any new leads?" she added in a whisper, so that Madam Pomfrey couldn't hear her. **

"**Nothing," said Harry gloomily. **

"**I was so sure it was Malfoy," said Ron, for about the hundredth time. **

"**What's that?" asked Harry, pointing to something gold sticking out from under Hermione's pillow. **

"**Just a get well card," said Hermione hastily, trying to poke it out of sight, but Ron was too quick for her. He pulled it out, flicked it open, and read aloud: **

"She's hiding something? What could she be hiding?"

"Stop interrupting first year, and you'd know." Snape snarls, rolling his eyes at the Hufflepuff first year, who cowers a little.

"_**To Miss Granger, wishing you a speedy recovery, from your concerned teacher, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award." **_

**Ron looked up at Hermione, disgusted. **

As did everyone else, while Hermione blushes.

"**You sleep with this under your pillow?" **

**But Hermione was spared answering by Madam Pomfrey sweeping over with her evening dose of medicine. **

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey."

"**Is Lockhart the smarmiest bloke you've ever met, or what?" Ron said to Harry as they left the infirmary and started up the stairs toward Gryffindor Tower. Snape had given them so much homework, Harry thought he was likely to be in the sixth year before he finished it.**

"Wait until you're _in _sixth year," Someone mutters.

**Ron was just saying he wished he had asked Hermione how many rat tails you were supposed to add to a Hair Raising Potion when an angry outburst from the floor above reached their ears. **

"Probably Filch," James interrupts.

"**That's Filch," Harry muttered as they hurried up the stairs and paused, out of sight, listening hard. **

"**You don't think someone else's been attacked?" said Ron tensely. **

"No, probably not. Harry's always really close by when someone's attacked," Ginny says, before her eyes go wide when she hears him groan.

**They stood still, their heads inclined toward Flich's voice, which sounded quite hysterical. **

"**Even more work for me! Mopping all night, like I haven't got enough to do! No, this is the final straw, I'm going to Dumbledore —" **

"What could he possibly be babbling on about now?" Remus asks, bewhildered.

**His footsteps receded along the out-of-sight corridor and they heard a distant door slam. **

**They poked their heads around the corner. Filch had clearly been manning his usual lookout post: They were once again on the spot where Mrs. Norris had been attacked. They saw at a glance what Filch had been shouting about. A great flood of water stretched over half the corridor, and it looked as though it was still seeping from under the door of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Now that Filch had stopped shouting, they could hear Myrtle's wails echoing off the bathroom walls. **

"Oh, what's got Moaning Myrtle in a wail now?" Lily says, rolling her eyes.

"**Now what's up with her?" said Ron. **

"**Let's go and see," said Harry, and holding their robes over their ankles they stepped through the great wash of water to the door bearing its OUT OF ORDER sign, ignored it as always, and entered. **

**Moaning Myrtle was crying, if possible, louder and harder than ever before. She seemed to be hiding down her usual toilet. It was dark in the bathroom because the candles had been extinguished in the great rush of water that had left both walls and floor soaking wet. **

"**What's up, Myrtle?" said Harry. **

"**Who's that?" glugged Myrtle miserably. "Come to throw something else at me?"**

"How many times does she get upset over something being thrown at her?" A second year questions, tired of the ghost.

**Harry waded across to her stall and said, "Why would I throw something at you?" **

"**Don't ask me," Myrtle shouted, emerging with a wave of yet more water, which splashed onto the already sopping floor. "Here I am, minding my own business, and someone thinks it's funny to throw a book at me…" **

"**But it can't hurt you if someone throws something at you," said Harry, reasonably.**

"Son, I ask of you, please don't continue that thought." James says sternly, while Lily laughs at him.

"**I mean, it'd just go right through you, wouldn't it?" **

"Not the right thing to say, kiddo."

**He had said the wrong thing. Myrtle puffed herself up and shrieked, "Let's all throw books at Myrtle, because she can't feel it! Ten points if you can get it through her stomach! Fifty points if it goes through her head! Well, ha, ha, ha! What a lovely game, I don't think!" **

James begins chuckling, alongside Remus, and Sirius grins in his dog form, while Lily rolls her eyes. "I'm guessing you idiots made up that game?"

"Well, you see, we were—"

"Bored, simply put. There was nothing to do." Remus interrupts, saving his friend, who grins at him.

"**Who threw it at you, anyway?" asked Harry.**

"**I don't know… I was just sitting in the U-bend, thinking about death, and it fell right through the top of my head," said Myrtle, glaring at them. "It's over there, it got washed out…" **

**Harry and Ron looked under the sink where Myrtle was pointing. A small, thin book lay there. **

"Who would ever throw a book down a toilet?" Lily asks, shaking her head, while Hermione nods hers in agreement.

**It had a shabby black cover and was as wet as everything else in the bathroom. Harry stepped **

**forward to pick it up, but Ron suddenly flung out an arm to hold him back. **

"Ah, so he knows not to think too highly of things, then." Remus says, nodding his head in approval.

"**What?" said Harry. **

"**Are you crazy?" said Ron. "It could be dangerous." **

"**Dangerous?" said Harry, laughing. "Come off it, how could it be dangerous?" **

"Remember, raised with muggles." Harry interrupts people from their own interruptions, "I thought nothing could be dangerous if it was only a book, which, to me, it was."

"**You'd be surprised," said Ron, who was looking apprehensively at the book. "Some of the books the Ministry's confiscated Dad's told me — there was one that burned your eyes out. And everyone who read Sonnets of a Sorcerer spoke in limericks for the rest of their lives. And some old witch in Bath had a book that you could never stop reading! You just had to wander around with your nose in it, trying to do everything one-handed. And —" **

"Think he gets the point, mate." Dean laughs.

"**All right, I've got the point," said Harry. The little book lay on the floor, nondescript and soggy. **

"**Well, we won't find out unless we look at it," he said, and he ducked around Ron and picked it up off the floor. **

**Harry saw at once that it was a diary, and the faded year on the cover told him it was fifty **

**years old. He opened it eagerly. On the first page he could just make out the name "T M. Riddle" in smudged ink. **

James and Lily's eyes went wide as this, as Remus let out a gasp and Sirius started to look between Harry and everyone else, positioning himself protectively in front of Harry.

"I take it that's a bad thing, then?" Dean and Seamus say, unsure.

"**Hang on," said Ron, who had approached cautiously and was looking over Harry's shoulder. "I know that name… T. M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school fifty years ago." **

"Can we have that taken away, already?" Hermione mutters, while Minerva nods her head, as does Amelia.

"**How on earth d'you know that?" said Harry in amazement. **

"I'm not stupid, mate." Ron laughs.

"Could've fooled me." Harry smirks.

"**Because Filch made me polish his shield about fifty times in detention," said Ron resentfully. "That was the one I burped slugs all over. If you'd wiped slime off a name for an hour, you'd remember it, too." **

**Harry peeled the wet pages apart. They were completely blank. There wasn't the faintest trace of writing on any of them, not even Auntie Mabel's birthday, or dentist, half-past three. **

"You have an Aunt Mabel?" Someone asks.

"Course not. But someone out there must have one." Harry shrugs nonchalantly, while many people look at him with confusion and then Sirius, who tried snorting.

"**He never wrote in it," said Harry, disappointed. **

"Don't be disappointed. In fact, throw it away, never touch it again, forget it about it!" James says, moving around a lot in anxiousness.

"Sorry." Harry grimaces.

"**I wonder why someone wanted to flush it away?" said Ron curiously. **

**Harry turned to the back cover of the book and saw the printed name of a variety store on Vauxhall Road, London. **

"**He must've been Muggle-born," said Harry thoughtfully. "To have bought a diary from Vauxhall Road…" **

"**Well, it's not much use to you," said Ron. He dropped his voice. "Fifty points if you can get it through Myrtle's nose." **

"RONALD WEASLEY!" Molly shouts while the twins laugh and Ginny looks sick.

**Harry, however, pocketed it. **

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!" James and Lily both shout, while Harry grimaces and everyone realizes nothing good could from this.

**Hermione left the hospital wing, de-whiskered, tail-less, and furfree, at the beginning of February. On her first evening back in Gryffindor Tower, Harry showed her T. M. Riddle's diary and told her the story of how they had found it. **

"**Oooh, it might have hidden powers," said Hermione enthusiastically, taking the diary and looking at it closely. **

"Hidden powers? Really?"

"**If it has, it's hiding them very well," said Ron. "Maybe it's shy. I don't know why you don't chuck it, Harry." **

"**I wish I knew why someone did try to chuck it," said Harry. "I wouldn't mind knowing how Riddle got an award for special services to Hogwarts either."**

"**Could've been anything," said Ron. "Maybe he got thirty O.W.L.s or saved a teacher from the giant squid. Maybe he murdered Myrtle; that would've done everyone a favor…" **

"RON!" Molly shouted once more, while Ron turned scarlet.

**But Harry could tell from the arrested look on Hermione's face that she was thinking what he was thinking. **

"Not for the first time, either." Harry chuckles, squeezing Hermione's hand while Ginny looks on in jealousy, vowing to make Harry notice her any way possible.

"**What?" said Ron, looking from one to the other. **

"**Well, the Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago, wasn't it?" he said. "That's what Malfoy said." **

"**Yeah…" said Ron slowly. **

"**And this diary is fifty years old," said Hermione, tapping it excitedly. **

"**So?" **

"Ron, how daft could you be?" The twins stated, while Lily also said, "Oh, Ron. Please wake up already."

"**Oh, Ron, wake up," snapped Hermione.**

"Obviously, us Potter's know how to choose 'em!" James laughed, while Harry blushed and Snape and Ginny sseethed.

"**We know the person who opened the Chamber last time was expelled fifty years ago. We know T. M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school fifty years ago. Well, what if Riddle got his special award for catching the Heir of Slytherin? His diary would probably tell us everything — where the Chamber is, and how to open it, and what sort of creature lives in it — the person who's behind the attacks this time wouldn't want that lying around, would they?"**

"Or you know, he could actually be that person!" Ron mutters, while Sirius looks on in horror, making everyone laugh at the dog in slight confusion.

"**That's a brilliant theory, Hermione," said Ron, "with just one tiny little flaw. There's nothing written in his diary." **

"Not that we can see!" Lily says sullenly, realizing with horror that somehow, her son is going to be involved with Voldemort in his second year.

**But Hermione was pulling her wand out of her bag. **

"**It might be invisible ink!" she whispered. She tapped the diary three times and said, **_**"Aparecium!" **_

"I like that she knows that spell!" James grinned.

**Nothing happened. Undaunted, Hermione shoved her hand back into her bag and pulled out what appeared to be a bright red eraser. **

"**It's a Revealer, I got it in Diagon Alley," she said. **

"Very brilliant!' Mad-Eye states.

**She rubbed hard on January first. Nothing happened. **

"**I'm telling you, there's nothing to find in there," said Ron. "Riddle just got a diary for Christmas and couldn't be bothered filling it in." **

**Harry couldn't explain, even to himself, why he didn't just throw Riddle's diary away. The fact was that even though he knew the diary was blank, he kept absentmindedly picking it up and turning the pages, as though it were a story he wanted to finish. And while Harry was sure he had never heard the name T. M. Riddle before, it still seemed to mean something to him, almost as though Riddle was a friend he'd had when he was very small, and had half-forgotten. **

"He. Is. Definitely. Not. A. Friend." Lily all but snarls, while Harry bites his lip and wrings his hands together.

**But this was absurd. He'd never had friends before Hogwarts, Dudley had made sure of that. **

**Nevertheless, Harry was determined to find out more about Riddle, so next day at break, he headed for the trophy room to examine Riddle's special award, accompanied by an interested Hermione and a thoroughly unconvinced Ron, who told them he'd seen enough of the trophy room to last him a lifetime. **

**Riddle's burnished gold shield was tucked away in a corner cabinet. It didn't carry details of why it had been given to him ("Good thing, too, or it'd be even bigger and I'd still be polishing it," said Ron). However, they did find Riddle's name on an old Medal for Magical Merit, and on a list of old Head Boys. **

"**He sounds like Percy," said Ron, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Prefect, Head Boy… probably top of every class —" **

"Didn't you want to _be_ a head boy?" Someone asks, while Ron blushes and squirms downwards in his seat.

"**You say that like it's a bad thing," said Hermione in a slightly hurt voice. **

**The sun had now begun to shine weakly on Hogwarts again. Inside the castle, the mood had grown more hopeful. There had been no more attacks since those on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, and Madam Pomfrey was pleased to report that the Mandrakes were becoming moody and secretive, meaning that they were fast leaving childhood. **

"**The moment their acne clears up, they'll be ready for repotting again," Harry heard her telling Filch kindly one afternoon. "And after that, it won't be long until we're cutting them up and stewing them. You'll have Mrs. Norris back in no time." **

**Perhaps the Heir of Slytherin had lost his or her nerve, thought Harry. It must be getting riskier and riskier to open the Chamber of Secrets, with the school so alert and suspicious. Perhaps the monster, whatever it was, was even now settling itself down to hibernate for another fifty years… **

**Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff didn't take this cheerful view. He was still convinced that Harry was the guilty one, that he had "given himself away" at the Dueling Club. Peeves wasn't helping matters; he kept popping up in the crowded corridors singing "Oh, Potter, you rotter…" now with a dance routine to match. **

"I'm gonna have a word with Peeves about this," James says while Sirius barks in agreement.

**Gilderoy Lockhart seemed to think he himself had made the attacks stop. Harry overheard him telling Professor McGonagall so while the Gryffindors were lining up for Transfiguration. **

"He can't be—"

"He most definitely—"

"Why that—" Many people are heard saying, while others roll their eyes.

"**I don't think there'll be any more trouble, Minerva," he said, tapping his nose knowingly and winking. "I think the Chamber has been locked for good this time. The culprit must have known it was only a matter of time before I caught him. Rather sensible to stop now, before I came down hard on him. **

"**You know, what the school needs now is a morale-booster. Wash away the memories of last term! I won't say any more just now, but I think I know just the thing…" **

**He tapped his nose again and strode off. **

**Lockhart's idea of a morale-booster became clear at breakfast time on February fourteenth. **

"Valentines day?" Lily gasps, her mouth open in surprise when Harry groans.

**Harry hadn't had much sleep because of a late-running Quidditch practice the night before, and he hurried down to the Great Hall, slightly late. He thought, for a moment, that he'd walked through the wrong doors. **

**The walls were all covered with large, lurid pink flowers. Worse still, heart-shaped confetti was falling from the pale blue ceiling. Harry went over to the Gryffindor table, where Ron was sitting looking sickened, and Hermione seemed to have been overcome with giggles. **

Everyone turned to Hermione, who could only shrug and blush.

"**What's going on?" Harry asked them, sitting down and wiping confetti off his bacon. **

**Ron pointed to the teachers' table, apparently too disgusted to speak. Lockhart, wearing lurid pink robes to match the decorations, was waving for silence. The teachers on either side of him were looking stony-faced. From where he sat, Harry could see a muscle going in Professor McGonagall's cheek. Snape looked as though someone had just fed him a large beaker of Skele-Gro. **

"It felt like it, too." Snape grumbles, sighing in annoyance at having to hear all of this again.

"**Happy Valentine's Day!" Lockhart shouted. "And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all — and it doesn't end here!" **

"Greaaat," Many people say.

**Lockhart clapped his hands and through the doors to the entrance hall marched a dozen surly-looking dwarfs. Not just any dwarfs, however. Lockhart had them all wearing golden wings and carrying harps. **

"**My friendly, card-carrying cupids!" beamed Lockhart. "They will be roving around the school today delivering your valentines! And the fun doesn't stop here! I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion! And while you're at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I've ever met, the sly old dog!" **

**Professor Flitwick buried his face in his hands. Snape was looking as though the first person to ask him for a Love Potion would be force-fed poison. **

"**Please, Hermione, tell me you weren't one of the forty-six," said Ron as they left the Great Hall for their first lesson. Hermione suddenly became very interested in searching her bag for her schedule and didn't answer. **

Many people snorted.

**All day long, the dwarfs kept barging into their classes to deliver valentines, to the annoyance of the teachers, and late that afternoon as the Gryffindors were walking upstairs for Charms, one of the dwarfs caught up with Harry. **

"Oh. Oh dear." Lily laughs.

"Atta boy!' James grins.

"**Oy, you! 'Arry Potter!" shouted a particularly grim-looking dwarf, elbowing people out of the way to get to Harry. **

**Hot all over at the thought of being given a valentine in front of a line of first years, which happened to include Ginny Weasley, Harry tried to escape. **

Lily's brow furrowed at the mention of Ginny and sighed angrily, looking over at the female, who seemed to be rather pleased of herself. She could feel herself get angry at the girl for no reason, and it wasn't until Lily could feel James' hand in hers that she calmed down.

"I know what you're thinking. I'm thinking the same thing. There will be nothing she can do to make Harry's emotions be redirected toward her, after all of this is done and we tell him the truth." He whispers into her ear, trying to calm her down.

After a few minutes, it works. "Doesn't mean I need to like her. I have a feeling she's involved a lot in this Chamber business, and with the way she idolizes Harry as 'the boy who lived'—" Lily began, before sighing and listening to Luna.

**The dwarf, however, cut his way through the crowd by kicking people's shins, and reached him before he'd gone two paces. **

"**I've got a musical message to deliver to 'Arry Potter in person," he said, twanging his harp in a threatening sort of way. **

"**Not here," Harry hissed, trying to escape. **

"**Stay still!" grunted the dwarf, grabbing hold of Harry's bag and pulling him back. **

"**Let me go!" Harry snarled, tugging. With a loud ripping noise, his bag split in two. **

"What a bad day!"

**His books, wand, parchment, and quill spilled onto the floor and his ink bottle smashed over everything. **

"How rotten!" Remus mumbles, frowning.

**Harry scrambled around, trying to pick it all up before the dwarf started singing, causing something of a holdup in the corridor. **

"**What's going on here?" came the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy. Harry started stuffing everything feverishly into his ripped bag, desperate to get away before Malfoy could hear his musical valentine. **

"**What's all this commotion?" said another familiar voice as Percy Weasley arrived. **

**Losing his head, Harry tried to make a run for it, but the dwarf seized him around the knees and brought him crashing to the floor. **

"**Right," he said, sitting on Harry's ankles. "Here is your singing valentine: **_**His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad, His hair is as dark as a blackboard, I wish he was mine, he's really divine, The hero who conquered the Dark Lord **_

Many people could be heard groaning at the poem, some people mentioning about how atrocious it sounded.

"Plus, if you think of him as 'the hero who conquered the Dark Lord' you're not going anywhere with Harry and not very fast, either.' Hermione grumbles, while Harry smiles at her.

**Harry would have given all the gold in Gringotts to evaporate on the spot. Trying valiantly to laugh along with everyone else, he got up, his feet numb from the weight of the dwarf, as Percy Weasley did his best to disperse the crowd, some of whom were crying with mirth. **

"**Off you go, off you go, the bell rang five minutes ago, off to class, now," he said, shooing some of the younger students away. "And you, Malfoy —" **

**Harry, glancing over, saw Malfoy stoop and snatch up something. Leering, he showed it to Crabbe and Goyle, and Harry realized that he'd got Riddle's diary. **

James rolls his eyes here, snorting.

"**Give that back," said Harry quietly. **

"**Wonder what Potter's written in this?" said Malfoy, who obviously hadn't noticed the year on the cover and thought he had Harry's own diary. A hush fell over the onlookers. Ginny was staring from the diary to Harry, looking terrified. **

"See?!" Lily says, burying her head in her hands while James grimaces, and Remus snorts at Narcissa's blithe comment of "You really are obsessed with the guy. Sure you're not gay, Draco?"

"**Hand it over, Malfoy," said Percy sternly. **

"**When I've had a look," said Malfoy, waving the diary tauntingly at Harry. Percy said, "As a school prefect —" but Harry had lost his temper. He pulled out his wand and shouted, **

"_**Expelliarmus!" **_**and just as Snape had disarmed Lockhart, so Malfoy found the diary shooting out of his hand into the air. Ron, grinning broadly, caught it. **

"**Harry!" said Percy loudly. "No magic in the corridors. I'll have to report this, you know!" **

"Oh who gives a hoot!' James says, rolling his eyes as Percy blushes.

**But Harry didn't care, he was one-up on Malfoy, and that was worth five points from Gryffindor any day. Malfoy was looking furious, and as Ginny passed him to enter her classroom, he yelled spitefully after her, "I don't think Potter liked your valentine much!" **

**Ginny covered her face with her hands and ran into class. Snarling, Ron pulled out his wand, too, but Harry pulled him away. Ron didn't need to spend the whole of Charms belching slugs. **

**It wasn't until they had reached Professor Flitwick's class that Harry noticed something rather odd about Riddle's diary. All his other books were drenched in scarlet ink. The diary, however, was as clean as it had been before the ink bottle had smashed all over it. He tried to point this out to Ron, but Ron was having trouble with his wand again; large purple bubbles were blossoming out of the end, and he wasn't much interested in anything else. **

"So many things going on here," James whispers, "We've got a clean diary, though it should be – I suppose that's how it appears to have nothing written in it. We've got a girl crushing on Harry, without even knowing him, all the while acting five and looking terrified of Harry having something previously discarded. We've got Malfoy being a prat—"

"So, nothing new then?' Lily laughs, loving this side of her husband, who only grins back at her.

**Harry went to bed before anyone else in his dormitory that night. This was partly because he didn't think he could stand Fred and George singing, "His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad" one more time, and partly because he wanted to examine Riddle's diary again, and knew that Ron thought he was wasting his time. **

"Both valid reasons for wanting to go bed early," James begins.

"Harry James, don't you dare!" Lily interrupts, her eyes wide with worry.

**Harry sat on his four-poster and flicked through the blank pages, not one of which had a trace of scarlet ink on it. Then he pulled a new bottle out of his bedside cabinet, dipped his quill into it, and dropped a blot onto the first page of the diary. **

"Oh no!" Lily mumbles, rocking back and forth in more worry than ever before.

**The ink shone brightly on the paper for a second and then, as though it was being sucked into the page, vanished. Excited, Harry loaded up his quill a second time and wrote, "My name is Harry Potter." **

"Harry!" Lily and Hermione moan, though Lily's was full of worry and Hermione's was more of shock.

**The words shone momentarily on the page and they, too, sank without trace. Then, at last, something happened. **

Lily could be seen rocking back and forth in worry as James tries to comfort her, and Harry grimaces, clenching his fingers in Sirius' fur, as Sirius puts his chin on Harry's leg.

**Oozing back out of the page, in his very own ink, came words Harry had never written. **

"**Hello, Harry Potter. My name is Tom Riddle. How did you come by my diary?" **

Lily flinched, knowing immediately who Riddle was, as did James.

**These words, too, faded away, but not before Harry had started to scribble back. **

"**Someone tried to flush it down a toilet." He waited eagerly for Riddle's reply. **

"**Lucky that I recorded my memories in some more lasting way than ink. But I always knew that there would be those who would not want this diary read." **

"**What do you mean?" Harry scrawled, blotting the page in his excitement. **

"**I mean that this diary holds memories of terrible things. Things that were covered up. Things that happened at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." **

"And the curiosity of Harry Potter begins," Snape snarls, while furrowing his brow in confusion at the name.

"**That's where I am now," Harry wrote quickly. "I'm at Hogwarts, and horrible stuff's been happening. Do you know anything about the Chamber of Secrets?" **

**His heart was hammering. Riddle's reply came quickly, his writing becoming untidier, as though he was hurrying to tell all he knew. **

"Merlin, Harry. Please don't continue." Lily whimpers, putting her face in James' shoulder.

"**Of course I know about the Chamber of Secrets. In my day, they told us it was a legend, that it did not exist. But this was a lie. In my fifth year, the Chamber was opened and the monster attacked several students, finally killing one. I caught the person who'd opened the Chamber and he was expelled. But the Headmaster, Professor Dippet, ashamed that such a thing had happened at Hogwarts, forbade me to tell the truth. A story was given out that the girl had died in a freak accident. They gave me a nice, shiny, engraved trophy for my trouble and warned me to keep my mouth shut. But I knew it could happen again. The monster lived on, and the one who had the power to release it was not imprisoned." **

"Not imprisoned indeed. In fact, he grew to be the dark lord," Ron mutters angrily, folding his arms.

**Harry nearly upset his ink bottle in his hurry to write back. **

"**It's happening again now. There have been three attacks and no one seems to know who's behind them. Who was it last time?" **

"**I can show you, if you like, "came Riddle's reply. "You don't have to take my word for it. I can take you inside my memory of the night when I caught him." **

"And I regret ever believing him!" Harry mutters, scowling.

**Harry hesitated, his quill suspended over the diary. What did Riddle mean? How could he be taken inside somebody else's memory? He glanced nervously at the door to the dormitory, which was growing dark. When he looked back at the diary, he saw fresh words forming. **

"**Let me show you." **

**Harry paused for a fraction of a second and then wrote two letters. **

"Please let them be N and O" Lily whimpers, knowing that they won't be.

**OK **

Lily closes her eyes and lets out a sigh, before opening them and glaring at the book.

**The pages of the diary began to blow as though caught in a high wind, stopping halfway through the month of June. Mouth hanging open, Harry saw that the little square for June thirteenth seemed to have turned into a miniscule television screen. His hands trembling slightly, he raised the book to press his eye against the little window, and before he knew what was happening, he was tilting forward; the window was widening, he felt his body leave his bed, and he was pitched headfirst through the opening in the page, into a whirl of color and shadow. He felt his feet hit solid ground, and stood, shaking, as the blurred shapes around him came suddenly into focus. **

**He knew immediately where he was. This circular room with the sleeping portraits was Dumbledore's office — but it wasn't Dumbledore who was sitting behind the desk. A wizened, frail-looking wizard, bald except for a few wisps of white hair, was reading a letter by candlelight. Harry had never seen this man before. **

Dumbledore furrows his brow, surprise on his face that Harry was able to do be aided in magic like that.

"**I'm sorry," he said shakily. "I didn't mean to butt in —" **

"He can't hear you," Hermione mutters, amazed at a fifteen year old doing magic like that, before wincing at the person she was amazed at.

"It's alright 'Mione." Harry whispers, knowing his friends emotions running through her face.

**But the wizard didn't look up. He continued to read, frowning slightly. Harry drew nearer to his desk and stammered, "Er — I'll just go, shall I?" **

**Still the wizard ignored him. He didn't seem even to have heard him. Thinking that the wizard might be deaf, Harry raised his voice. **

"**Sorry I disturbed you. I'll go now," he half-shouted. **

Many people snorted, while Harry flinched.

**The wizard folded up the letter with a sigh, stood up, walked past Harry without glancing at him, and went to draw the curtains at his window. **

**The sky outside the window was ruby-red; it seemed to be sunset. The wizard went back to the desk, sat down, and twiddled his thumbs, watching the door. **

**Harry looked around the office. No Fawkes the phoenix — no whirring silver contraptions. This was Hogwarts as Riddle had known it, meaning that this unknown wizard was Headmaster, not Dumbledore, and he, Harry, was little more than a phantom, completely invisible to the people of fifty years ago. **

"The things I could do," James grins, while Lily rolls her eyes at her husbands thoughts.

**There was a knock on the office door. **

"**Enter," said the old wizard in a feeble voice. A boy of about sixteen entered, taking off his pointed hat. A silver prefect's badge was glinting on his chest. He was much taller than Harry, but he, too, had jet-black hair. **

James flinches here, and whispers to Lily, who looks down sadly while squeezing James' hand.

"**Ah, Riddle," said the Headmaster. **

"**You wanted to see me, Professor Dippet?" said Riddle. He looked nervous. **

"**Sit down," said Dippet. "I've just been reading the letter you sent me." **

"**Oh," said Riddle. He sat down, gripping his hands together very tightly. **

"**My dear boy," said Dipper kindly, "I cannot possibly let you stay at school over the summer. Surely you want to go home for the holidays?" **

"**No," said Riddle at once. "I'd much rather stay at Hogwarts than go back to that — to that —" **

"I hate that I know exactly what he means," Harry whispers to Hermione, Ron and Sirius, who all nod, except Sirius, who licks Harry.**  
**

"**You live in a Muggle orphanage during the holidays, I believe?" said Dippet curiously. **

"**Yes, sir," said Riddle, reddening slightly. **

"**You are Muggle-born?" **

"**Half-blood, sir," said Riddle. "Muggle father, witch mother." **

"**And are both your parents —?" **

"**My mother died just after I was born, sir. They told me at the orphanage she lived just long enough to name me — Tom after my father, Marvolo after my grandfather." Dipper clucked his tongue sympathetically. **

"**The thing is, Tom," he sighed, "Special arrangements might have been made for you, but in the current circumstances…" **

"**You mean all these attacks, sir?" said Riddle, and Harry's heart leapt, and he moved closer, scared of missing anything. **

"And I'll never believe it ever again. I was so naive at that age." Harry mumbles while Ron nods his head.

"**Precisely," said the headmaster. "My dear boy, you must see how foolish it would be of me to allow you to remain at the castle when term ends. Particularly in light of the recent tragedy… the death of that poor little girl… You will be safer by far at your orphanage. As a matter of fact, the Ministry of Magic is even now talking about closing the school. We are no nearer locating the — er — source of all this unpleasantness…" Riddle's eyes had widened. **

"**Sir — if the person was caught — if it all stopped —" **

"**What do you mean?" said Dippet with a squeak in his voice, sitting up in his chair. "Riddle, do you mean you know something about these attacks?" **

"**No, sir," said Riddle quickly. **

"Somebody's lying," Fred sing songs, but stops when he sees Harry and Ron flinch, wondering why they're flinching so much this chapter.

**But Harry was sure it was the same sort of "no" that he himself had given Dumbledore. **

**Dippet sank back, looking faintly disappointed. **

"I don't like all of these points the book keeps giving, about how much I'm like Riddle," Harry snarls, while many people look on in confusion.

"But the guy's a prefect! A brilliant person! He's about to turn someone in! Don't you have any respect—" Percy begins, only to be stopped by Ginny snarling at him, "Just wait until the end of the book, _Weatherby_."

"**You may go, Tom…" **

**Riddle slid off his chair and slouched out of the room. Harry followed him. Down the moving spiral staircase they went, emerging next to the gargoyle in the darkening corridor. Riddle stopped, and so did Harry, watching him. Harry could tell that Riddle was doing some serious thinking. He was biting his lip, his forehead furrowed.**

"What's he thinking about, then?" Someone shouts.

**Then, as though he had suddenly reached a decision, he hurried off, Harry gliding noiselessly behind him. They didn't see another person until they reached the entrance hall, when a tall wizard with long, sweeping auburn hair and a beard called to Riddle from the marble staircase. **

"**What are you doing, wandering around this late, Tom?" **

**Harry gaped at the wizard. He was none other than a fifty-year-younger Dumbledore. **

"He had auburn hair?"

"He must be old!' People shout, much to the amusement of Albus.

"**I had to see the headmaster, sir," said Riddle. **

"**Well, hurry off to bed," said Dumbledore, giving Riddle exactly the kind of penetrating stare Harry knew so well. **

"Probably because he's reading your mind!" James grumbles, glaring at the book.

"**Best not to roam the corridors these days. Not since…" **

**He sighed heavily, bade Riddle good night, and strode off. Riddle watched him walk out of sight and then, moving quickly, headed straight down the stone steps to the dungeons, with Harry in hot pursuit. **

"What could possibly be down there?" Someone interrupts.

**But to Harry's disappointment, Riddle led him not into a hidden passageway or a secret tunnel but to the very dungeon in which Harry had Potions with Snape.**

"How boring!" Someone else – sounded like a Slytherin, interrupts.

**The torches hadn't been lit, and when Riddle pushed the door almost closed, Harry could only just see him, standing stock-still by the door, watching the passage outside. **

**It felt to Harry that they were there for at least an hour. All he could see was the figure of Riddle at the door, staring through the crack, waiting like a statue. And just when Harry had stopped feeling expectant and tense and started wishing he could return to the present, he heard something move beyond the door. **

Many people squirmed in their seats, wanting to know what was going on in the book that Harry was experiencing.

**Someone was creeping along the passage. He heard whoever it was pass the dungeon where he and Riddle were hidden. Riddle, quiet as a shadow, edged through the door and followed, Harry tiptoeing behind him, forgetting that he couldn't be heard. **

"Not surprising," Many people snort, while Harry smiles.

**For perhaps five minutes they followed the footsteps, until Riddle stopped suddenly, his head inclined in the direction of new noises. Harry heard a door creak open, and then someone speaking in a hoarse whisper. **

"**C'mon… gotta get yeh outta here… C'mon now… in the box…" There was something familiar about that voice… **

Eyes widened all around the room, and heads turned towards the current gatekeeper, while many tried not to feel apprehensive about what was being read. Surely, Hagrid wasn't involved in the attacks, then and most importantly, now?

"Keep reading, will yeh?" Hagrid mumbles, flushing with embarrassment.

**Riddle suddenly jumped around the corner. Harry stepped out behind him. He could see the dark outline of a huge boy who was crouching in front of an open door, a very large box next to it. **

"Oh, anyone but him!" Cho mumbles, putting her head in her hands, thinking the worst.

"**Evening, Rubeus," said Riddle sharply. The boy slammed the door shut and stood up. **

Many people remained silent, while Hagrid had looked down and the pranksters of the school grimaced.

"I see this is why he was expelled." James can be heard mumbling as Hagrid flinches and Harry stares.

"Luna, keep reading. Everyone else, don't judge. The books do prove things you wouldn't expect." Harry says, right before Hermione speaks.

"Keep that in mind for the third book, too."

"**What yer doin' down here, Tom?" Riddle stepped closer. **

"**It's all over," he said. "I'm going to have to turn you in, Rubeus. They're talking about closing Hogwarts if the attacks don't stop."**

"'**N at d'yeh —" **

"**I don't think you meant to kill anyone. But monsters don't make good pets. I suppose you just let it out for exercise and —" **

"**It never killed no one!" said the large boy, backing against the closed door. From behind him, Harry could hear a funny rustling and clicking. **

"**Come on, Rubeus," said Riddle, moving yet closer. "The dead girl's parents will be here tomorrow. The least Hogwarts can do is make sure that the thing that killed their daughter is slaughtered…" **

"**It wasn't him!" roared the boy, his voice echoing in the dark passage. "He wouldn'! He never!" **

"**Stand aside," said Riddle, drawing out his wand. **

"And the beginning of it begins," Remus snorts, while many people tilt their heads.

**His spell lit the corridor with a sudden flaming light. The door behind the large boy flew open with such force it knocked him into the wall opposite. And out of it came something that made Harry let out a long, piercing scream unheard by anyone. **

"You screamed?" Ron gasped, surprised while Harry shrugged.

**A vast, low-slung, hairy body and a tangle of black legs; a gleam of many eyes and a pair of razor-sharp pincers — Riddle raised his wand again, but he was too late. The thing bowled him over as it scuttled away, tearing up the corridor and out of sight. Riddle scrambled to his feet, looking after it; he raised his wand, but the huge boy leapt on him, seized his wand, and threw him back down, yelling, "NOOOOOO!" **

**The scene whirled, the darkness became complete; Harry felt himself falling and, with a crash, he landed spread-eagled on his four-poster in the Gryffindor dormitory, Riddle's diary lying open on his stomach. **

"Well, at least that's over with." Lily mutters.

**Before he had had time to regain his breath, the dormitory door opened and Ron came in. **

"**There you are," he said. Harry sat up. He was sweating and shaking. **

"**What's up?" said Ron, looking at him with concern. **

"**It was Hagrid, Ron. Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago."**

"Felt a chill through my bones like no other." Ron whispers, shaking.

"Even now?' George questions, smirking.

"No, not now." Ron replies exasperately, while the book floats over to Madam Hooch.


	34. Chapter 34

**Author's Note: **Hey guys. I bring to you the last chapters of book two! I hope you enjoy them very much. I'm currently writing the first couple of chapters for book three, and I'm going to try my _**damn**_** _hardest_**to post them tomorrow. However, I'm going away on Saturday for a whole week, and won't be able to write anything until I come back, which _will_ delay posting. Unfortunately, at such a great book, too. So, I'll try to post tomorrow, but if not, you'll have something to look forward to for when I get back! Also, can y'all go to my profile page and do the poll for me? Thanks guys.

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**CHAPTER FOURTEEN, Cornelius Fudge **

"But we only met in your second year, Potter." Fudge interrupts, confused. Harry grimaces, before nodding his head in agreement.

"Yes, we met then. But that wasn't the first time I'd seen you."

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione had always known that Hagrid had an unfortunate liking for large and monstrous creatures.**

"No shite Sherlock." James laughs while many wizards looked on in confusion and many muggle familiar people laughed.

**During their first year at Hogwarts he had tried to raise a dragon in his little wooden house, and it would be a long time before they forgot the giant, three-headed dog he'd christened "Fluffy." And if, as a boy, Hagrid had heard that a monster was hidden somewhere in the castle, Harry was sure he'd have gone to any lengths for a glimpse of it. He'd probably thought it was a shame that the monster had been cooped up so long, and thought it deserved the chance to stretch its many legs; Harry could just imagine the thirteen-year-old Hagrid trying to fit a leash and collar on it. But he was equally certain that Hagrid would never have meant to kill anybody. **

"At least yeh know, 'Arry." Hagrid interrupts, smiling lightly.

**Harry half wished he hadn't found out how to work Riddle's diary. Again and again Ron and Hermione made him recount what he'd seen, until he was heartily sick of telling them and sick of the long, circular conversations that followed. **

"Er—sorry about that, mate."

"**Riddle **_**might **_**have got the wrong person," said Hermione. "Maybe it was some other monster that was attacking people…" **

"She's probably right, too!" Terry Boot says while Hermione blushes and Harry glares, causing James to snort.

"**How many monsters d'you think this place can hold?" Ron asked dully. **

"A lot more than we thought," Ron laughs.

"**We always knew Hagrid had been expelled," said Harry miserably. "And the attacks must've stopped after Hagrid was kicked out. Otherwise, Riddle wouldn't have got his award." **

**Ron tried a different tack. **

"**Riddle **_**does **_**sound like Percy — who asked him to squeal on Hagrid, anyway?" **

"**But the monster had **_**killed **_**someone, Ron," said Hermione. **

"**And Riddle was going to go back to some Muggle orphanage if they closed Hogwarts," said Harry. "I don't blame him for wanting to stay here…" **

James grimaced at this before turning to Remus and Sirius, "Where in the bloody name of Merlin were you two?"

"**You met Hagrid down Knockturn Alley, didn't you, Harry?" **

"**He was buying a Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent," said Harry quickly. **

"Good for you Harry, because Hagrid is not that kind of person!" Lily whispers furiously, while Ron grimaces.

**The three of them fell silent. After a long pause, Hermione voiced the knottiest question of all in a hesitant voice. **

"**Do you think we should go and **_**ask **_**Hagrid about it all?" **

"Point given to the intelligent girl that reminds me of my wife!" James laughs.

"**That'd be a cheerful visit," said Ron. "'Hello, Hagrid. Tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately?'"**

Many people snorted.

**In the end, they decided that they would not say anything to Hagrid unless there was another attack, and as more and more days went by with no whisper from the disembodied voice, they became hopeful that they would never need to talk to him about why he had been expelled. It was now nearly four months since Justin and Nearly Headless Nick had been Petrified, and nearly everybody seemed to think that the attacker, whoever it was, had retired for good. **

"Well, that's good." James states, a quick nod of his head.

**Peeves had finally got bored of his "Oh, Potter, you rotter" song, Ernie Macmillan asked Harry quite politely to pass a bucket of leaping toadstools in Herbology one day, and in March several of the Mandrakes threw a loud and raucous party in greenhouse three. This made Professor Sprout very happy. **

"Please tell me that they've finally got it in their heads that you're not the person doing all of the attacks." Remus asks, and Harry can only shrug.

"**The moment they start trying to move into each other's pots, we'll know they're fully mature," she told Harry. "Then we'll be able to revive those poor people in the hospital wing." **

**The second years were given something new to think about during their Easter holidays. The time had come to choose their subjects for the third year, a matter that Hermione, at least, took very seriously. **

"Well, one of you should be at least." Lily says, scoldingly.

"… **it could affect our whole future," she told Harry and Ron as they pored over lists of new subjects, marking them with checks. **

"**I just want to give up Potions," said Harry. **

"**We can't," said Ron gloomily. "We keep all our old subjects, or I'd've ditched Defense Against the Dark Arts." **

"But why?" Many people shouted, surprised.

"**But that's very important!" said Hermione, shocked. **

"**Not the way Lockhart teaches it," said Ron. "I haven't learned anything from him except not to set pixies loose." **

"That's very true." James states.

**Neville Longbottom had been sent letters from all the witches and wizards in his family, all giving him different advice on what to choose. Confused and worried, he sat reading the subject lists with his tongue poking out, asking people whether they thought Arithmancy sounded more difficult than the study of Ancient Runes. Dean Thomas, who, like Harry, had grown up with Muggles, ended up closing his eyes and jabbing his wand at the list, then picking the subjects it landed on. **

Many people snorted at this while shaking their heads, and Hermione had a slight smile on her face, with no one knowing that secretly, that's what she did.

**Hermione took nobody's advice but signed up for everything. **

"FORESHADOWING!" Harry shouts, grinning at Hermione, who laughs, while many others look confused and Sirius barks.

**Harry smiled grimly to himself at the thought of what Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would say if he tried to discuss his career in wizardry with them. Not that he didn't get any guidance: Percy Weasley was eager to share his experience. **

"How unfortunate, mate." George laughs.

"**Depends where you want to go, Harry," he said. "It's never too early to think about the future, so I'd recommend Divination. People say Muggle Studies is a soft option, but I personally think wizards should have a thorough understanding of the non-magical community, particularly if they're thinking of working in close contact with them — look at my father, he has to deal with Muggle business all the time. My brother Charlie was always more of an outdoor type, so he went for Care of Magical Creatures. Play to your strengths, Harry." **

**But the only thing Harry felt he was really good at was Quidditch. In the end, he chose the same new subjects as Ron, feeling that if he was lousy at them, at least he'd have someone friendly to help him. **

**Gryffindor's next Quidditch match would be against Hufflepuff.**

"QUIDDITCH!" James shouted, as Harry's eyes widened, remembering what happened during that much. Feeling Harry tense up, Sirius also tensed up in worry and began lightly growling at people and whimpering at Harry.

**Wood was insisting on team practices every night after dinner, so that Harry barely had time for anything but Quidditch and homework. However, the training sessions were getting better, or at least drier, and the evening before Saturday's match he went up to his dormitory to drop off his broomstick feeling Gryffindor's chances for the Quidditch cup had never been better. **

**But his cheerful mood didn't last long. At the top of the stairs to the dormitory, he met Neville Longbottom, who was looking frantic. **

"Why, what happened now?" Someone shouts.

"**Harry — I don't know who did it — I just found —" Watching Harry fearfully, Neville pushed open the door. **

"What went wrong?" Lily says, worry building up in her stomach.

**The contents of Harry's trunk had been thrown everywhere. His cloak lay ripped on the floor. **

"RIPPED?" James shouted, affronted that such an item could be hurt so tremendously.

**The bedclothes had been pulled off his four-poster and the drawer had been pulled out of his bedside cabinet, the contents strewn over the mattress. **

"Someone must've really want to find something." George stated, looking confused while unbeknownst to them, Ginny blushed and looked down.

**Harry walked over to the bed, open-mouthed, treading on a few loose pages of Travels with Trolls. As he and Neville pulled the blankets back onto his bed, Ron, Dean, and Seamus came in. Dean swore loudly. **

"At the age of twelve?" Someone laughs.

"**What happened, Harry?" **

"**No idea," said Harry. But Ron was examining Harry's robes. All the pockets were hanging out. **

"**Someone's been looking for something," said Ron. "Is there anything missing?" **

"Good question!" Remus asks, furrowing his brow.

**Harry started to pick up all his things and throw them into his trunk. It was only as he threw the last of the Lockhart books back into it that he realized what wasn't there. **

"The diary!" Someone whispers.

"Who would want the diary, when it was obviously thrown away?" Someone else asks, while many others began whispering theories.

"**Riddle's diary's gone," he said in an undertone to Ron. **

"**What?" **

**Harry jerked his head toward the dormitory door and Ron followed him out. They hurried down to the Gryffindor common room, which was half-empty, and joined Hermione, who was sitting alone, reading a book called **_**Ancient Runes Made Easy**_**. Hermione looked aghast at the news. **

"I'm aghast at the fact that you started reading the text a year early." Someone states, while someone else glares at the person.

"**But — only a Gryffindor could have stolen — nobody else knows our password —" **

"Exactly!" Lily whispers, grimacing.

"**Exactly," said Harry. **

**They woke the next day to brilliant sunshine and a light, refreshing breeze. **

"**Perfect Quidditch conditions!" said Wood enthusiastically at the Gryffindor table, loading the team's plates with scrambled eggs. "Harry, buck up there, you need a decent breakfast." **

**Harry had been staring down the packed Gryffindor table, wondering if the new owner of Riddle's diary was right in front of his eyes. Hermione had been urging him to report the robbery, but Harry didn't like the idea. He'd have to tell a teacher all about the diary, and how many people knew why Hagrid had been expelled fifty years ago? He didn't want to be the one who brought it all up again. **

"That's sweet, in an offhanded way." James grins.

**As he left the Great Hall with Ron and Hermione to go and collect his Quidditch things, another very serious worry was added to Harry's growing list. He had just set foot on the marble staircase when he heard it yet again. **

"Oh, not again!" Lily groans while Harry begins to whiten, which James begins to tell and looks over curiously.

"_**Kill this time… let me rip… tear…" **_

Harry grimaces this time, before he clutches Hermione's hand.

**He shouted aloud and Ron and Hermione both jumped away from him in alarm. "The voice!" said Harry, -looking over his shoulder. "I just heard it again — didn't you?" **

**Ron shook his head, wide-eyed. Hermione, however, clapped a hand to her forehead. **

"**Harry — I think I've just understood something! I've got to go to the library!" And she sprinted away, up the stairs. **

"Wish you hadn't." Harry mumbles.

"**What does she understand?" said Harry distractedly, still looking around, trying to tell where the voice had come from. **

"Wish I'd paid more attention."

"**Loads more than I do," said Ron, shaking his head. **

"**But why's she got to go to the library?" **

"**Because that's what Hermione does," said Ron, shrugging. "When in doubt, go to the library." **

**Harry stood, irresolute, trying to catch the voice again, but people were now emerging from the Great Hall behind him, talking loudly, exiting through the front doors on their way to the Quidditch pitch. **

"**You'd better get moving," said Ron. "It's nearly eleven — the match —" **

"Wish I'd look for Her—"

"We get it Harry," Hermione interrupts nicely, smiling lightly to let him know its okay. He smiles back, bringing their foreheads together, making a few people coo at the cuteness.

**Harry raced up to Gryffindor Tower, collected his Nimbus Two Thousand, and joined the large crowd swarming across the grounds, but his mind was still in the castle along with the bodiless voice, and as he pulled on his scarlet robes in the locker room, his only comfort was that everyone was now outside to watch the game. **

Harry sighs, wanting to say not everyone, but with one hand squeeze from Hermione, stops himself. Minerva, remembering what happened, smiles lightly.

**The teams walked onto the field to tumultuous applause. Oliver Wood took off for a warm-up flight around the goal posts; Madam Hooch released the balls. The Hufflepuffs, who played in canary yellow, were standing in a huddle, having a last-minute discussion of tactics. **

**Harry was just mounting his broom when Professor McGonagall came half marching, half running across the pitch, carrying an enormous purple megaphone. **

"What's happened?" James asks, standing up in worry while Lily bites her lip, knowing that something bad must've happened for the megaphone to be out.

**Harry's heart dropped like a stone. **

"**This match has been cancelled," Professor McGonagall called through the megaphone, addressing the packed stadium. There were boos and shouts. Oliver Wood, looking devastated, landed and ran toward Professor McGonagall without getting off his broomstick. **

"**But, Professor!" he shouted. "We've got to play — the cup —**_**Gryffindor **_**—" Professor McGonagall ignored him and continued to shout through her megaphone: "All students are to make their way back to the House common rooms, where their Heads of Houses will give them further information. As quickly as you can, please!" **

"Something major must've happened."

"You think it has to do with the voice Harry heard?"

"And so soon after the diary was stolen?" James and Lily converse, while Remus looks on in thought.

**Then she lowered the megaphone and beckoned Harry over to her. **

"Why are you beckoning Harry over?" James asks, growing more worried by the minute.

"**Potter, I think you'd better come with me…" **

**Wondering how she could possibly suspect him this time, Harry saw Ron detach himself from the complaining crowd; he came running up to them as they set off toward the castle. To Harry's surprise, Professor McGonagall didn't object. **

"Oh, I wanted to, but I knew he'd find out anyways!" Minerva interrupts, while Harry smiles lightly and Ron furrows his brow.

"**Yes, perhaps you'd better come, too, Weasley…" **

"That's clear here, definitely." A seventh year states, brazen with himself.

**Some of the students swarming around them were grumbling about the match being canceled; others looked worried. Harry and Ron followed Professor McGonagall back into the school and up the marble staircase. But they weren't taken to anybody's office this time. **

"I don't like this," Lily whispers, while James wonders where Hermione is.

"**This will be a bit of a shock," said Professor McGonagall in a surprisingly gentle voice as they approached the infirmary. "There has been another attack… another **_**double **_**attack." **

James grows more worried, and everyone begins to notice as he shakes his leg, and Lily looks toward him before her own eyes widen and she bites her lip.

**Harry's insides did a horrible somersault. Professor McGonagall pushed the door open and he and Ron entered… Madam Pomfrey was bending over a fifth-year girl with long, curly hair. Harry recognized her as the Ravenclaw they'd accidentally asked for directions to the Slytherin common room. And on the bed next to her was — **

"_**Hermione**_**!" Ron groaned. **

"NO!" James shouts, getting up and pacing while glancing over at Hermione every few minutes. He can't explain why, but he's already gone and accepted the young female as a daughter (-in-law, but he'd never tell his son that!) and to hear that she's been attacked is something he's never wanted to hear.

**Hermione lay utterly still, her eyes open and glassy. **

"Oh, you poor thing." Lily moans while Harry squeezes Hermione's hand.

"**They were found near the library," said Professor McGonagall. "I don't suppose either of you can explain this? It was on the floor next to them…" **

**She was holding up a small, circular and Ron shook their heads, both staring at Hermione. **

"**I will escort you back to Gryffindor Tower," said Professor McGonagall heavily. "I need to address the students in any case." **

"This is horrible." Someone whispers, while many people nod their heads.

"**All students will return to their House common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further Quidditch training and matches are to be postponed. There will be no more evening activities." **

"I s'pose this is what happens when something truly dangerous goes on in the school," Lily mumbles, holding her body while James wraps his arm around her shoulders and Snape clenches his fist.

**The Gryffindors packed inside the common room listened to Professor McGonagall in silence. She rolled up the parchment from which she had been reading and said in a somewhat choked voice, "I need hardly add that I have rarely been so distressed. It is likely that the school will be closed unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught. I would urge anyone who thinks they might know anything about them to come forward." **

"Of course I was choked! One of my best students was attacked. No one was safe!" Minerva nearly shouts, her eyes watering.

**She climbed somewhat awkwardly out of the portrait hole, and the Gryffindors began talking immediately. **

"**That's two Gryffindors down, not counting a Gryffindor ghost, one Ravenclaw, and one Hufflepuff, " said the Weasley twins' friend Lee Jordan, counting on his fingers. "Haven't any of the teachers noticed that the Slytherins are all safe? Isn't it obvious all this stuff's coming from Slytherin? The Heir of Slytherin, the monster of Slytherin — why don't they just chuck all the Slytherins out?" he roared, to nods and scattered applause. **

"Oddly enough, that logic makes sense." Narcissa says, tilting her head in slight disbelief while many stared in shock and the male Malfoys glared.

**Percy Weasley was sitting in a chair behind Lee, but for once he didn't seem keen to make his views heard. He was looking pale and stunned. **

"Why?" Remus questions, wrinkling his nose.

"**Percy's in shock," George told Harry quietly. "That Ravenclaw girl — Penelope Clearwater — she's a prefect. I don't think he thought the monster would dare attack a prefect." **

"Or because you know, they were together." Ginny giggles while the twins smirk and Harry rolls his eyes, tired of Ginny's antics.

**But Harry was only half-listening. He didn't seem to be able to get rid of the picture of Hermione, lying on the hospital bed as though carved out of stone. **

"It was bloody horrible." Harry whispers, as pale as a Malfoy while squeezing Hermione's hand, nearly too tight, causing her to grimace slightly.

**And if the culprit wasn't caught soon, he was looking at a lifetime back with the Dursleys. Tom Riddle had turned Hagrid in because he was faced with the prospect of a Muggle orphanage if the school closed. Harry now knew exactly how he had felt. **

Harry grimaced, ready to apologize to Hagrid, but with one look at the half-giant, Harry knew everything was already forgiven.

"**What're we going to do?" said Ron quietly in Harry's ear. "D'you think they suspect Hagrid?" **

"**We've got to go and talk to him," said Harry, making up his mind. "I can't believe it's him this time, but if he set the monster loose last time he'll know how to get inside the Chamber of Secrets, and that's a start." **

"**But McGonagall said we've got to stay in our tower unless we're in class —" **

"THE CLOAK!" Lily shouts beaming.

"If it was fixed, sure." James smirks.

"If it was –"

"The person who stole the diary—"

"Oh, right. Bloody Merlin." Lily sighs.

"**I think," said Harry, more quietly still, "it's time to get my dad's old cloak out again." **

"Does that mean it was fixed?" Someone asks and Harry furrows before shrugging, not exactly sure.

**Harry had inherited just one thing from his father: a long and silvery Invisibility Cloak. It was their only chance of sneaking out of the school to visit Hagrid without anyone knowing about it. They went to bed at the usual time, waited until Neville, Dean, and Seamus had stopped discussing the Chamber of Secrets and finally fallen asleep, then got up, dressed again, and threw the cloak over themselves. **

"How could it have gotten fixed though?" A muggleborn first year questions, biting his lip and furrowing his brow.

**The journey through the dark and deserted castle corridors wasn't enjoyable. Harry, who had wandered the castle at night several times before, had never seen it so crowded after sunset. Teachers, prefects, and ghosts were marching the corridors in pairs, staring around for any unusual activity. Their Invisibility Cloak didn't stop them making any noise, and there was a particularly tense moment when Ron stubbed his toe only yards from the spot where Snape stood standing guard. **

Snape snarled slightly here, upset that he missed something to catch the brats in the act.

**Thankfully, Snape sneezed at almost exactly the moment Ron swore. It was with relief that they reached the oak front doors and eased them open. It was a clear, starry night. They hurried toward the lit windows of Hagrid's house and pulled off the cloak only when they were right outside his front door. **

**Seconds after they had knocked, Hagrid flung it open. They found themselves face-to-face with him aiming a crossbow at them. Fang the boarhound barked loudly behind him.**

"Seriously, Hagrid, a crossbow?" James laughs.

"**Oh," he said, lowering the weapon and staring at them. "What're you two doin' here?" **

"**What's that for?" said Harry, pointing at the crossbow as they stepped inside. **

"**Nothin' — nothin' —" Hagrid muttered. "I've bin expectin' — doesn' matter — Sit down — I'll make tea —" **

Sirius barks here, suddenly remembering something and Harry looks over at him, wanting Sirius to be in his human form so they could truly know what his godfather meant by that bark.

**He hardly seemed to know what he was doing. He nearly extinguished the fire, spilling water from the kettle on it, and then smashed the teapot with a nervous jerk of his massive hand. **

"You don't think that because he was expelled last time, he's worried this time, d'you?" James mumbles, worried for his old friend.

"**Are you okay, Hagrid?" said Harry. "Did you hear about Hermione?" **

"**Oh, I heard, all righ'," said Hagrid, a slight break in his voice. He kept glancing nervously at the windows. He poured them both large mugs of boiling water (he had forgotten to add tea bags) and was just putting a slab of fruitcake on a plate when there was a loud knock on the door. **

"I think you may be right, love." Lily interrupts Hooch, who is grimacing at the next bit on the page.

**Hagrid dropped the fruitcake. Harry and Ron exchanged panicstricken looks, then threw the Invisibility Cloak back over themselves and retreated into a corner. Hagrid checked that they were hidden, seized his crossbow, and flung open his door once more. **

"**Good evening, Hagrid." It was Dumbledore. He entered, looking deadly serious, and was followed by a second, very odd-looking man. **

"Oh." Cornelius interrupts quietly, while Dolores, who had remained silent, thankfully, narrowed her eyes.

**The stranger had rumpled gray hair and an anxious expression, and was wearing a strange mixture of clothes: a pinstriped suit, a scarlet tie, a long black cloak, and pointed purple boots. Under his arm he carried a lime-green bowler. **

"**That's Dad's boss!" Ron breathed. "Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic!" **

"You need to be quieter, mate." James grins, shaking his head.

**Harry elbowed Ron hard to make him shut up. **

"And our son obviously agrees." Lily laughs.

**Hagrid had gone pale and sweaty. He dropped into one of his chairs and looked from Dumbledore to Cornelius Fudge. **

"**Bad business, Hagrid," said Fudge in rather clipped tones. "Very bad business. Had to come. Four attacks on Muggle-borns. Things've gone far enough. Ministry's got to act." **

"**I never," said Hagrid, looking imploringly at Dumbledore. "You know I never, Professor Dumbledore, sir —" **

"**I want it understood, Cornelius, that Hagrid has my full confidence," said Dumbledore, frowning at Fudge. **

"**Look, Albus," said Fudge, uncomfortably. "Hagrid's record's against him. Ministry's got to do something — the school governors have been in touch —" **

"So basically, luscious as decided to bribe and blackmail everyone into agreeing with him," Lily snarls while James grins and Lucius shouts, "That's not my name!"

"**Yet again, Cornelius, I tell you that taking Hagrid away will not help in the slightest," said Dumbledore. His blue eyes were full of a fire Harry had never seen before. **

"**Look at it from my point of view," said Fudge, fidgeting with his bowler. "I'm under a lot of pressure. Got to be seen to be doing something. If it turns out it wasn't Hagrid, he'll be back and no more said. But I've got to take him. Got to. Wouldn't be doing my duty —" **

"**Take me?" said Hagrid, who was trembling. "Take me where?"**

Many people grimace, having a feeling that they know the place Hagrid'll be going.

"**For a short stretch only," said Fudge, not meeting Hagrid's eyes. "Not a punishment, Hagrid, more a precaution. If someone else is caught, you'll be let out with a full apology —" **

"**Not Azkaban?" croaked Hagrid. **

The grimacing continues, and James shudders, "Everyone goes crazy there, no matter how much time you spend in the place."

How little did James know he'd be eating those words soon enough.

**Before Fudge could answer, there was another loud rap on the door. **

"Let me guess, luscious!" Lily grins.

**Dumbledore answered it. It was Harry's turn for an elbow in the ribs; he'd let out an audible gasp. **

**Mr. Lucius Malfoy strode into Hagrid's hut, swathed in a long black traveling cloak, smiling a cold and satisfied smile. Fang started to growl. **

"**Already here, Fudge," he said approvingly. "Good, good…" **

"**What're you doin' here?" said Hagrid furiously. "Get outta my house!" **

"**My dear man, please believe me, I have no pleasure at all in being inside your — er — d'you call this a house?" said Lucius Malfoy, sneering as he looked around the small cabin. "I simply called at the school and was told that the headmaster was here." **

"**And what exactly did you want with me, Lucius?" said Dumbledore. He spoke politely, but the fire was still blazing in his blue eyes. **

"**Dreadful thing, Dumbledore," said Malfoy lazily, taking out a long roll of parchment, "but the governors feel it's time for you to step aside. This is an Order of Suspension — you'll find all twelve signatures on it. I'm afraid we feel you're losing your touch. How many attacks have there been now? Two more this afternoon, wasn't it? At this rate, there'll be no Muggle-borns left at Hogwarts, and we all know what an awful loss that would be to the school." **

"Because you'd feel horrible about it, wouldn't you?" James snarls.

"**Oh, now, see here, Lucius," said Fudge, looking alarmed, "Dumbledore suspended — no, no — last thing we want just now." **

"**The appointment — or suspension — of the headmaster is a matter for the governors, Fudge," said Mr. Malfoy smoothly. "And as Dumbledore has failed to stop these attacks —" **

"**See here, Malfoy, if Dumbledore can't stop them," said Fudge, whose upper lip was sweating now, "I mean to say, who can?" **

"**That remains to be seen," said Mr. Malfoy with a nasty smile. "But as all twelve of us have voted —" **

**Hagrid leapt to his feet, his shaggy black head grazing the ceiling. **

'**An' how many did yeh have ter threaten an' blackmail before they agreed, Malfoy, eh?" he roared. **

"Hagrid knows!" James laughs, clapping.

"**Dear, dear, you know, that temper of yours will lead you into trouble one of these days, Hagrid," said Mr. Malfoy. "I would advise you not to shout at the Azkaban guards like that. They won't like it at all." **

"**Yeh can' take Dumbledore!" yelled Hagrid, making Fang the boarhound cower and whimper in his basket. "Take him away, an' the Muggle-borns won' stand a chance! There'll be killin' next!" **

"**Calm yourself, Hagrid," said Dumbledore sharply. He looked at Lucius Malfoy. **

"**If the governors want my removal, Lucius, I shall of course step aside —" **

"**But —" stuttered Fudge. **

"**No!" growled Hagrid. **

**Dumbledore had not taken his bright blue eyes off Lucius Malfoy's cold gray ones. **

"**However," said Dumbledore, speaking very slowly and clearly so that none of them could miss a word, "you will find that I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me… Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it." **

**For a second, Harry was almost sure Dumbledore's eyes flickered toward the corner where he and Ron were hidden. **

"Because they probably did." Ron mutters while Hermione frowns.

"You don't think he meant to do this as another test, d'you?" She whispers, as Harry frowns next.

"**Admirable sentiments," said Malfoy, bowing. "We shall all miss your — er — highly individual way of running things, Albus, and only hope your successor will manage to prevent any — ah — killins." **

**He strode to the cabin door, opened it, and bowed Dumbledore out. Fudge, fiddling with his bowler, waited for Hagrid to go ahead of him, but Hagrid stood his ground, took a deep breath, and said carefully, "If anyone wanted ter find out some stuff, all they'd have ter do would be ter follow the spiders. That'd lead 'em right. That's all I'm sayin'." **

"Follow—"

"The—"

"Spiders?" The twins state, worry on their faces as they look at Ron, who's grimacing.

**Fudge stared at him in amazement. **

"**All right, I'm comin', said Hagrid, pulling on his moleskin overcoat. But as he was about to follow Fudge through the door, he stopped again and said loudly, "An' someone'll need ter feed Fang while I'm away." **

**The door banged shut and Ron pulled off the Invisibility Cloak. **

"**We're in trouble now," Ron said hoarsely. "No Dumbledore. They might as well close the school tonight. There'll be an attack a day with him gone."**** Fang started howling, scratching at the closed door.**

"It's true, though. Right?" James questions, shrugging, while the book flies to Molly, who accepts it happily.


	35. Chapter 35

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN, Aragog **

"What kind of name is Aragog?" someone shouts, while James grunts.

**Summer was creeping over the grounds around the castle; sky and lake alike turned periwinkle blue and flowers large as cabbages burst into bloom in the greenhouses. But with no Hagrid visible from the castle windows, striding the grounds with Fang at his heels, the scene didn't look right to Harry; no better, in fact, than the inside of the castle, where things were so horribly wrong. **

Many of the students cringed at this sentence, remembering that year quite well.

**Harry and Ron had tried to visit Hermione, but visitors were now barred from the hospital wing. **

"**We're taking no more chances," Madam Pomfrey told them severely through a crack in the infirmary door. "No, I'm sorry, there's every chance the attacker might come back to finish these people off…" **

"But that means he won't be able to visit—" James sputtered, his eyes wide while Lily patted his shoulder.

**With Dumbledore gone, fear had spread as never before, so that the sun warming the castle walls outside seemed to stop at the mullioned windows. There was barely a face to be seen in the school that didn't look worried and tense, and any laughter that rang through the corridors sounded shrill and unnatural and was quickly stifled. **

**Harry constantly repeated Dumbledore's final words to himself **_**"I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me… Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it." **_**But what good were these words? Who exactly were they supposed to ask for help, when everyone was just as confused and scared as they were? **

**Hagrid's hint about the spiders was far easier to understand. **

"Definitely not surprising, as Dumbledore is a man of guessing and mystery, while Hagrid is not." Lily laughs.

**The trouble was, there didn't seem to be a single spider left in the castle to follow. Harry looked everywhere he went, helped (rather reluctantly) by Ron.**

The twins grimaced at this sentence, promising themselves to apologize to Ron as soon as they could.

**They were hampered, of course, by the fact that they weren't allowed to wander off on their own but had to move around the castle in a pack with the other Gryffindors. Most of their fellow students seemed glad that they were being shepherded from class to class by teachers, but Harry found it very irksome. **

"I always will, too." Harry says, wrinkling his own nose while Sirius barks in agreement.

**One person, however, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere of terror and suspicion. Draco Malfoy was strutting around the school as though he had just been appointed Head Boy. Harry didn't realize what he was so pleased about until the Potions lesson about two weeks after Dumbledore and Hagrid had left, when, sitting right behind Malfoy, Harry overheard him gloating to Crabbe and Goyle. **

"Completely unsurprising, as 'es a Malfoy." Hagrid states.

"**I always thought Father might be the one who got rid of Dumbledore," he said, not troubling to keep his voice down. "I told you he thinks Dumbledore's the worst headmaster the school's ever had. Maybe we'll get a decent headmaster now. Someone who won't want the Chamber of Secrets closed. McGonagall won't last long, she's only filling in…" **

Many of the students – and professors – growled at this paragraph, with Draco flinching while his mother scolded him.

**Snape swept past Harry, making no comment about Hermione's empty seat and cauldron. **

"**Sir," said Malfoy loudly. "Sir, why don't **_**you **_**apply for the headmaster's job?" **

"Because that's not how it works!" Hermione snaps, furious.

"**Now, now, Malfoy," said Snape, though he couldn't suppress a thin-lipped smile. "Professor Dumbledore has only been suspended by the governors. I daresay he'll be back with us soon enough." **

"**Yeah, right," said Malfoy, smirking. "I expect you'd have Father's vote, sir, if you wanted to apply for the job**_**— I'll **_**tell Father you're the best teacher here, sir —" **

Harry snorts at this while Snape glares and his parents laugh at him, smiling lightly.

**Snape smirked as he swept off around the dungeon, fortunately not spotting Seamus Finnigan, who was pretending to vomit into his cauldron. **

All of the students laughed at this while Snape and Draco flushed.

"**I'm quite surprised the Mudbloods haven't all packed their bags by now," Malfoy went on. "Bet you five Galleons the next one dies. Pity it wasn't Granger —" **

Harry started snarling at this, and Hermione had to hold him back while Sirius bit on his sleeve. "You're so lucky you got away with that comment, Malfoy." Harry snaps.

**The bell rang at that moment, which was lucky; at Malfoy's last words, Ron had leapt off his stool, and in the scramble to collect bags and books, his attempts to reach Malfoy went unnoticed. **

"**Let me at him," Ron growled as Harry and Dean hung onto his arms. "I don't care, I don't need my wand, I'm going to kill him with my bare hands —" **

"I don't get why Harry isn't defending her." Someone states, while Harry blushes.

"I get angry in private." Harry shrugs blushing, when Tonks makes an offhanded comment of, "That's what you think, mate."

"**Hurry up, I've got to take you all to Herbology," barked Snape over the class's heads, and off they marched, with Harry, Ron, and Dean bringing up the rear, Ron still trying to get loose. It was only safe to let go of him when Snape had seen them out of the castle and they were making their way across the vegetable patch toward the greenhouses. **

**The Herbology class was very subdued; there were now two missing from their number, Justin and Hermione. **

**Professor Sprout set them all to work pruning the Abyssinian Shrivelfigs. Harry went to tip an armful of withered stalks onto the compost heap and found himself face-to-face with Ernie Macmillan. Ernie took a deep breath and said, very formally, "I just want to say, Harry, that I'm sorry I ever suspected you. I know you'd never attack Hermione Granger, and I apologize for all the stuff I said. We're all in the same boat now, and, well —" **

"Somehow, this isn't surprising." Remus states, while Sirius barks and Molly gives a stern look.

**He held out a pudgy hand, and Harry shook it. **

"Never surprises me, either." Ron mumbles while Harry shrugs.

**Ernie and his friend Hannah came to work at the same Shrivelfig as Harry and Ron. **

"**That Draco Malfoy character," said Ernie, breaking off dead twigs, "he seems very pleased about all this, doesn't he? D'you know, I think **_**he **_**might be Slytherin's heir." **

"Well no sh—"

"HARRY JAMES!" James laughs, while Harry grins.

"Well, I couldn't exactly say it then, right?"

"**That's clever of you," said Ron, who didn't seem to have forgiven Ernie as readily as Harry. **

"**Do you think it's Malfoy, Harry?" Ernie asked. **

"**No," said Harry, so firmly that Ernie and Hannah stared. **

"Well, we didn't understand why!" Hannah says furiously, pouting.

**A second later, Harry spotted something. **

"Ooh, what did he spot?"

**Several large spiders were scuttling over the ground on the other side of the glass, moving in an unnaturally straight line as though taking the shortest route to a prearranged meeting. Harry hit Ron over the hand with his pruning shears. **

Many people laughed at this sentence, except for the twins, who were looking at their brother, wondering what was going to happen.

"_**Ouch! **_**What're you —" **

**Harry pointed out the spiders, following their progress with his eyes screwed up against the sun. **

"**Oh, yeah," said Ron, trying, and failing, to look pleased. "But we can't follow them now —" **

**Ernie and Hannah were listening curiously. **

"Don't mind your own business, do you?" Umbridge mutters, while many others glare.

**Harry's eyes narrowed as he focused on the spiders. If they pursued their fixed course, there could be no doubt about where they would end up. **

"**Looks like they're heading for the Forbidden Forest…" **

"I'd imagine Ron looks even unhappier about that." Someone mutters, while Harry grins.

**And Ron looked even unhappier about that. **

**At the end of the lesson Professor Sprout escorted the class to their Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. Harry and Ron lagged behind the others so they could talk out of earshot. **

"**We'll have to use the Invisibility Cloak again," Harry told Ron. "We can take Fang with us. He's used to going into the forest with Hagrid, he might be some help." **

"Some help?" James laughs, while Harry shrugs.

"He might not be brave, but he knew the forest better than us," He replies, petting Sirius to calm himself down, which was recognized by Sirius, who looked at him curiously.

"**Right," said Ron, who was twirling his wand nervously in his fingers. "Er — aren't there — aren't there supposed to be werewolves in the forest?" he added as they took their usual places at the back of Lockhart's classroom. **

"Well, that really is foreshadowing!" Hermione laughs while Harry smirks and Ron looks on in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, in the first year, when Harry and I are in detention, Harry keeps asking if it could have been a werewolf that was killing the unicorns, with a no as an answer. Now, come second year, you and Harry are about to go in, or thinking about it, when _you_ ask if there are suppose to be werewolves in the forest." Hermione pauses before smirking, which makes many others go into shock, "Now, think about the end of our third year, Ronald." She finishes, while Ron thinks about it then bursts into laughter.

"Oh. Oh, wow." He replies, grasping his side.

**Preferring not to answer that question, Harry said, "There are good things in there, too. The centaurs are all right, and the unicorns…" Ron had never been into the Forbidden Forest before. Harry had entered it only once and had hoped never to do so again. **

"Yet, I enter it once or twice each year," Harry laughs.

**Lockhart bounded into the room and the class stared at him. Every other teacher in the place was looking grimmer than usual, but Lockhart appeared nothing short of buoyant. **

"Of course not," Snape drawls.

"**Come now," he cried, beaming around him. "Why all these long faces?" **

"Why do you think?" Someone mutters.

**People swapped exasperated looks, but nobody answered. **

"**Don't you people realize," said Lockhart, speaking slowly, as though they were all a bit dim, "the danger has passed! The culprit has been taken away —" **

"Oh, poppycock!" Remus shouts, rolling his eyes, while many of the students nod their heads in agreement.

"**Says who?" said Dean Thomas loudly. **

"**My dear young man, the Minister of Magic wouldn't have taken Hagrid if he hadn't been one hundred percent sure that he was guilty," said Lockhart, in the tone of someone explaining that one and one made two. **

"Yes they would have!" Harry seethes, "They've done it before, kept the inno—"

"Harry!" Hermione snaps, not letting him finish the thought, as his eyes went wide.

"They have!" He finishes, pouting before petting Sirius, who wags his tail, while the Ministry workers minus Amelia, glares.

"**Oh, yes he would," said Ron, even more loudly than Dean. **

"**I flatter myself I know a **_**touch **_**more about Hagrid's arrest than you do, Mr. Weasley," said Lockhart in a self-satisfied tone. Ron started to say that he didn't think so, somehow, but stopped in midsentence when Harry kicked him hard under the desk.**

"Smart move, son!"

"**We weren't there, remember?" Harry muttered. **

**But Lockhart's disgusting cheeriness, his hints that he had always thought Hagrid was no good, his confidence that the whole business was now at an end, irritated Harry so much that he yearned to throw **_**Gadding with Ghouls **_**right in Lockhart's stupid face.**

"Well, I still do!" He mumbles, shifting around in remembered annoyance.

**Instead he contented himself with scrawling a note to Ron: **_**Let's do it tonight. **_**Ron read the message, swallowed hard, and looked sideways at the empty seat usually filled by Hermione. The sight seemed to stiffen his resolve, and he nodded. **

"Because he loves her!" Ginny shouts happily, while Molly giggles and many of the students look at them with revolt in their faces and Albus smirks at them, nodding quickly, which was spotted by James and Lily, who looked at one another and also nodded, knowing they really need to help their son.

**The Gryffindor common room was always very crowded these days, because from six o'clock onward the Gryffindors had nowhere else to go. They also had plenty to talk about, with the result that the common room often didn't empty until past midnight. **

"But the younger students need their sleep!" Poppy scolded, crossing her arms.

**Harry went to get the Invisibility Cloak out of his trunk right after dinner, and spent the evening sitting on it, waiting for the room to clear. Fred and George challenged Harry and Ron to a few games of Exploding Snap, and Ginny sat watching them, very subdued in Hermione's usual chair. **

"It's like she's trying to replace you." Harry mumbles, sending a small, unnoticed glare towards the younger girl while squeezing Hermione's hand and stroking it, causing many of the adults to smile.

"I don't like it at all, Harry."

**Harry and Ron kept losing on purpose, trying to finish the games quickly, but even so, it was well past midnight when Fred, George, and Ginny finally went to bed. **

"Seriously?" George whines, looking at the two of them in surprise, while they shrugged.

"We were on a mission, George!" Harry grins.

"Well, more like Harry!" Ron smirks, with Harry hitting him over the head, while many others looked on, not use to the _Golden Trio_ acting – well, normal.

**Harry and Ron waited for the distant sounds of two dormitory doors closing before seizing the cloak, throwing it over themselves, and climbing through the portrait hole. **

**It was another difficult journey through the castle, dodging all the teachers. At last they reached the entrance hall, slid back the lock on the oak front doors, squeezed between them, trying to stop any creaking, and stepped out into the moonlit grounds. **

"Whoo-hoo!" James shouts, clapping, while Lily laughs and Snape glares.

"'**Course," said Ron abruptly as they strode across the black grass, "we might get to the forest and find there's nothing to follow. Those spiders might not've been going there at all. I know it looked like they were moving in that sort of general direction, but…" **

"You're too hopeful, little brother!" Bill interrupts, shaking his head.

**His voice trailed away hopefully. They reached Hagrid's house, sad and sorry-looking with its blank windows. When Harry pushed the door open, Fang went mad with joy at the sight of them. Worried he might wake everyone at the castle with his deep, booming barks, they hastily fed him treacle fudge from a tin on the mantelpiece, which glued his teeth together. **

Many people laughed while Hagrid shook his head, trying not to laugh at his dog.

**Harry left the Invisibility Cloak on Hagrid's table. There would be no need for it in the pitch-dark forest. **

"That's what you probably think, but knowing your luck son—" Lily begins

"You will end up needing it." James finishes for her, smirking lightly.

"**C'mon, Fang, we're going for a walk," said Harry, patting his leg, and Fang bounded happily out of the house behind them, dashed to the edge of the forest, and lifted his leg against a large sycamore tree. **

"You gotta do what you gotta do," A muggleborn laughs, shaking their head while many other muggleborns and half-borns also laugh.

**Harry took out his wand, murmured, **_**"Lumos!" **_**and a tiny light appeared at the end of it, just enough to let them watch the path for signs of spiders. **

"**Good thinking," said Ron. "I'd light mine, too, but you know — it'd probably blow up or something…" Harry tapped Ron on the shoulder, pointing at the grass. Two solitary spiders were hurrying away from the wandlight into the shade of the trees. **

"**Okay," Ron sighed as though resigned to the worst, "I'm ready. Let's go." **

Harry grimaces at Ron, who laughs, slightly.

**So, with Fang scampering around them, sniffing tree roots and leaves, they entered the forest. By the glow of Harry's wand, they followed the steady trickle of spiders moving along the path. They walked behind them for about twenty minutes, not speaking, listening hard for noises other than breaking twigs and rustling leaves. Then, when the trees had become thicker than ever, so that the stars overhead were no longer visible, and Harry's wand shone alone in the sea of dark, they saw their spider guides leaving the path. **

"Oh. Oh, 'Arry, no. Leave from there, 'ow." Hagrid starts saying, his eyes wide, never expecting this.

**Harry paused, trying to see where the spiders were going, but everything outside his little sphere of light was pitch-black. He had never been this deep into the forest before. He could vividly remember Hagrid advising him not to leave the forest path last time he'd been in here. But Hagrid was miles away now, probably sitting in a cell in Azkaban, and he had also said to follow the spiders. **

"Oh." Hagrid grimaces.

**Something wet touched Harry's hand and he jumped backward, crushing Ron's foot, but it was only Fang's nose. **

"Thanks, Fang." Hermione says, rolling her eyes.

"**What d'you reckon?" Harry said to Ron, whose eyes he could just make out, reflecting the light from his wand. **

"**We've come this far," said Ron. **

**So they followed the darting shadows of the spiders into the trees. They couldn't move very quickly now; there were tree roots and stumps in their way, barely visible in the near blackness. Harry could feel Fang's hot breath on his hand. More than once, they had to stop, so that Harry could crouch down and find the spiders in the wandlight. **

"Hagrid?" James asks quietly so no one else can hear him.

"Yes?"

"Please tell me Aragog isn't a—"

"'Fraid I can't."

**They walked for what seemed like at least half an hour, their robes snagging on low-slung branches and brambles. After a while, they noticed that the ground seemed to be sloping downward, though the trees were as thick as ever. **

**Then Fang suddenly let loose a great, echoing bark, making both Harry and Ron jump out of their skins. **

"**What?" said Ron loudly, looking around into the pitch-dark, and gripping Harry's elbow very hard. **

"**There's something moving over there," Harry breathed. "Listen… sounds like something big…" **

"Hagrid!" James moaned at the same time his wife snapped.

**They listened. Some distance to their right, the something big was snapping branches as it carved a path through the trees. **

"**Oh, no," said Ron. "Oh, no, oh, no, oh —" **

"What?" The twins, Bill and Charlie stated, never seeing their little brother act this way.

"**Shut up," said Harry frantically. "It'll hear you." **

"Hear _him_? It's already heard Fang," Charlie snorts before Molly can continue.

"**Hear **_**me**_**?" said Ron in an unnaturally high voice. "It's already heard Fang!" **

Charlie laughed while the others smiled.

**The darkness seemed to be pressing on their eyeballs as they stood, terrified, waiting. There was a strange rumbling noise and then silence. **

"**What d'you think it's doing?" said Harry. **

"**Probably getting ready to pounce," said Ron. **

**They waited, shivering, hardly daring to move. **

"**D'you think it's gone?" Harry whispered. **

"**Dunno —" **

"Please just get out of there, Harry." Lily moans.

**Then, to their right, came a sudden blaze of light, so bright in the darkness that both of them flung up their hands to shield their eyes. Fang yelped and tried to run, but got lodged in a tangle of thorns and yelped even louder. **

"**Harry!" Ron shouted, his voice breaking with relief "Harry, it's our car!" **

"They're like a couple. They're doing it tonight, in _their_ car," Malfoy shouts, while only the Slytherins laugh and everyone else glares.

"_**What?" **_

"**Come on!" **

**Harry blundered after Ron toward the light, stumbling and tripping, and a moment later they had emerged into a clearing. **

**Mr. Weasley's car was standing, empty, in the middle of a circle of thick trees under a roof of dense branches, its headlights ablaze. As Ron walked, open-mouthed, toward it, it moved slowly toward him, exactly like a large, turquoise dog greeting its owner. **

"Should my car even be able to do that?" Arthur questions quietly, his brow furrowing.

"**It's been here all the time!" said Ron delightedly, walking around the car. "Look at it. The forest's turned it wild…" **

**The sides of the car were scratched and smeared with mud. Apparently it had taken to trundling around the forest on its own. Fang didn't seem at all keen on it; he kept close to Harry, who could feel him quivering. His breathing slowing down again, Harry stuffed his wand back into his robes. **

"**And we thought it was going to attack us!" said Ron, leaning against the car and patting it. "I wondered where it had gone!" **

**Harry squinted around on the floodlit ground for signs of more spiders, but they had all scuttled away from the glare of the headlights. **

"**We've lost the trail," he said. "C'mon, let's go and find them."**

**Ron didn't speak. He didn't move. His eyes were fixed on a point some ten feet above the forest floor, right behind Harry. His face was livid with terror. **

The twins eyes widened, looking worriedly at their brother.

**Harry didn't even have time to turn around. There was a loud clicking noise and suddenly he felt something long and hairy seize him around the middle and lift him off the ground, so that he was hanging facedown. **

Lily screamed, Hermione flinched, Sirius tensed and started growling and snarling, Remus glared and James tried to calm Lily down.

**Struggling, terrified, he heard more clicking, and saw Ron's legs leave the ground, too, heard Fang whimpering and howling — next moment, he was being swept away into the dark trees. **

**Head hanging, Harry saw that what had hold of him was marching on six immensely long, hairy legs, the front two clutching him tightly below a pair of shining black pincers. Behind him, he could hear another of the creatures, no doubt carrying Ron. They were moving into the very heart of the forest. Harry could hear Fang fighting to free himself from a third monster, whining loudly, but Harry couldn't have yelled even if he had wanted to; he seemed to have left his voice back with the car in the clearing. **

Lily could be heard whimpering into James' shoulder and Hermione had began to cuddle against Harry while both Snape and Ginny glared.

**He never knew how long he was in the creature's clutches; he only knew that the darkness suddenly lifted enough for him to see that the leaf-strewn ground was now swarming with spiders. Craning his neck sideways, he realized that they had reached the ridge of a vast hollow, a hollow that had been cleared of trees, so that the stars shone brightly onto the worst scene he had ever laid eyes on. **

**Spiders. Not tiny spiders like those surging over the leaves below. Spiders the size of carthorses, eight-eyed, eight-legged, black, hairy, gigantic. The massive specimen that was carrying Harry made its way down the steep slope toward a misty, domed web in the very center of the hollow, while its fellows closed in all around it, clicking their pincers excitedly at the sight of its load. **

**Harry fell to the ground on all fours as the spider released him. Ron and Fang thudded down next to him. Fang wasn't howling anymore, but cowering silently on the spot. Ron looked exactly like Harry felt. His mouth was stretched wide in a kind of silent scream and his eyes were popping. **

"Fred, no more spiders for Ron."

"Got it, George." Fred replies, his eyes looking at Ron worriedly and full of apologies.

**Harry suddenly realized that the spider that had dropped him was saying something. It had been hard to tell, because he clicked his pincers with every word he spoke. **

"**Aragog!" it called. "Aragog!" **

"Hagrid!" James moaned even louder than before, while Hagrid flinched.

**And from the middle of the misty, domed web, a spider the size of a small elephant emerged, very slowly. There was gray in the black of his body and legs, and each of the eyes on his ugly, pincered head was milky white. He was blind. **

"Aw," Lily mutters, while many people stare at her in shock.

"I like animals. And even though this one is trying to hurt my son, I can still feel pity!" Lily mutters in reply at the stares.

"**What is it?" he said, clicking his pincers rapidly. **

"**Men," clicked the spider who had caught Harry. **

"**Is it Hagrid?" said Aragog, moving closer, his eight milky eyes wandering vaguely.**

"**Strangers," clicked the spider who had brought Ron. **

"**Kill them," clicked Aragog fretfully. "I was sleeping…" **

"**We're friends of Hagrid's," Harry shouted. His heart seemed to have left his chest to pound in his throat. **

"Smart one, Harry." James states.

"Might not 'elp, though." Hagrid replies,

**Click, click, click went the pincers of the spiders all around the hollow. **

**Aragog paused. **

"**Hagrid has never sent men into our hollow before," he said slowly. **

"**Hagrid's in trouble," said Harry, breathing very fast. "That's why we've come." **

"**In trouble?" said the aged spider, and Harry thought he heard concern beneath the clicking pincers. "But why has he sent you?" Harry thought of getting to his feet but decided against it; he didn't think his legs would support him. So he spoke from the ground, as calmly as he could. **

"**They think, up at the school, that Hagrid's been setting a — a — something on students. They've taken him to Azkaban." **

"I hate that place!" Hagrid mutters, shaking, while Sirius barks in reply.

**Aragog clicked his pincers furiously, and all around the hollow the sound was echoed by the crowd of spiders; it was like applause, except applause didn't usually make Harry feel sick with fear. **

Many people shuddered at this sentence.

"**But that was years ago," said Aragog fretfully. "Years and years ago. I remember it well. That's why they made him leave the school. They believed that **_**I **_**was the monster that dwells in what they call the Chamber of Secrets. They thought that Hagrid had opened the Chamber and set me free." **

"**And you… you didn't come from the Chamber of Secrets?" said Harry, who could feel cold sweat on his forehead. **

"**I!" said Aragog, clicking angrily. "I was not born in the castle. I come from a distant land. A traveler gave me to Hagrid when I was an egg. Hagrid was only a boy, but he cared for me, hidden in a cupboard in the castle, feeding me on scraps from the table. Hagrid is my good friend, and a good man. When I was discovered, and blamed for the death of a girl, he protected me. I have lived here in the forest ever since, where Hagrid still visits me. He even found me a wife, Mosag, and you see how our family has grown, all through Hagrid's goodness…" **

"A death of a girl?" Lily states, thinking back to what James had thought before, who had grinned at her.

**Harry summoned what remained of his courage. **

"**So you never — never attacked anyone?" **

"**Never," croaked the old spider. "It would have been my instinct, but out of respect for Hagrid, I never harmed a human. The body of the girl who was killed was discovered in a bathroom. I never saw any part of the castle but the cupboard in which I grew up. Our kind like the dark and the quiet…" **

"I WAS RIGHT!" James shouted, before grinning and sitting back down, as he had stood up in his excitement.

"**But then… Do you know what **_**did **_**kill that girl?" said Harry. "Because whatever it is, it's back and attacking people again —" His words were drowned by a loud outbreak of clicking and the rustling of many long legs shifting angrily; large black shapes shifted all around him. **

"**The thing that lives in the castle," said Aragog, "is an ancient creature we spiders fear above all others. Well do I remember how I pleaded with Hagrid to let me go, when I sensed the beast moving about the school." **

"**What is it?" said Harry urgently. More loud clicking, more rustling; the spiders seemed to be closing in. **

"**We do not speak of it!" said Aragog fiercely. "We do not name it! I never even told Hagrid the name of that dread creature, though he asked me, many times." **

**Harry didn't want to press the subject, not with the spiders pressing closer on all sides. Aragog seemed to be tired of talking. He was backing slowly into his domed web, but his fellow spiders continued to inch slowly toward Harry and Ron. **

"**We'll just go, then," Harry called desperately to Aragog, hearing leaves rustling behind him. **

"**Go?" said Aragog slowly. "I think not…" **

"**But — but —" **

"**My sons and daughters do not harm Hagrid, on my command. But I cannot deny them fresh meat, when it wanders so willingly into our midst. Good-bye, friend of Hagrid." **

**Harry spun around. Feet away, towering above him, was a solid wall of spiders, clicking, their many eyes gleaming in their ugly black heads. **

**Even as he reached for his wand, Harry knew it was no good, there were too many of them, but as he tried to stand, ready to die fighting, a loud, long note sounded, and a blaze of light flamed through the hollow. **

"Thank goodness for that car," Arthur mutters, worried about his youngest son.

**Mr. Weasley's car was thundering down the slope, headlights glaring, its horn screeching, knocking spiders aside; several were thrown onto their backs, their endless legs waving in the air. The car screeched to a halt in front of Harry and Ron and the doors flew open. **

"**Get Fang!" Harry yelled, diving into the front seat; Ron seized the boarhound around the middle and threw him, yelping, into the back of the car — the doors slammed shut — Ron didn't touch the accelerator but the car didn't need him; the engine roared and they were off, hitting more spiders. They sped up the slope, out of the hollow, and they were soon crashing through the forest, branches whipping the windows as the car wound its way cleverly through the widest gaps, following a path it obviously knew. **

**Harry looked sideways at Ron. His mouth was still open in the silent scream, but his eyes weren't popping anymore. **

"**Are you okay?" **

**Ron stared straight ahead, unable to speak. They smashed their way through the undergrowth, Fang howling loudly in the back seat, and Harry saw the side mirror snap off as they squeezed past a large oak. After ten noisy, rocky minutes, the trees thinned, and Harry could again see patches of sky. The car stopped so suddenly that they were nearly thrown into the windshield. They had reached the edge of the forest. Fang flung himself at the window in his anxiety to get out, and when Harry opened the door, he shot off through the trees to Hagrid's house, tail between his legs. Harry got out too, and after a minute or so, Ron seemed to regain the feeling in his limbs and followed, still stiff-necked and staring. Harry gave the car a grateful pat as it reversed back into the forest and disappeared from view. **

"How nice, son." James snorted, shaking his head.

**Harry went back into Hagrid's cabin to get the Invisibility Cloak. Fang was trembling under a blanket in his basket. When Harry got outside again, he found Ron being violent sick in the pumpkin patch. **

"Okay, no more spider jokes, either." Fred grimaced while Harry smiled thankfully for Ron, who had gone back to looking sick.

"**Follow the spiders," said Ron weakly, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "I'll never forgive Hagrid. We're lucky to be alive." **

"**I bet he thought Aragog wouldn't hurt friends of his," said Harry. **

"**That's exactly Hagrid's problem!" said Ron, thumping the wall of the cabin. "He always thinks monsters aren't as bad as they're made out, and look where it's got him! A cell in Azkaban!" He was shivering uncontrollably now. "What was the point of sending us in there? What have we found out, I'd like to know?" **

"You found out a lot, actually." Lily stated, reminding everyone of Hermione.

"**That Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets," said Harry, throwing the cloak over Ron and prodding him in the arm to make him walk. "He was innocent." **

**Ron gave a loud snort. Evidently, hatching Aragog in a cupboard wasn't his idea of being innocent. **

**As the castle loomed nearer Harry twitched the cloak to make sure their feet were hidden, then pushed the creaking front doors ajar. They walked carefully back across the entrance hall and up the marble staircase, holding their breath as they passed corridors where watchful sentries were walking. At last they reached the safety of the Gryffindor common room, where the fire had burned itself into glowing ash. They took off the cloak and climbed the winding stair to their dormitory. **

**Ron fell onto his bed without bothering to get undressed. Harry, however, didn't feel very sleepy. He sat on the edge of his fourposter, thinking hard about everything Aragog had said. **

**The creature that was lurking somewhere in the castle, he thought, sounded like a sort of monster Voldemort — even other monsters didn't want to name it. But he and Ron were no closer to finding out what it was, or how it petrified its victims. Even Hagrid had never known what was in the Chamber of Secrets. **

"C'mon son, figure it out." James and Lily lightly chant under their breaths.

**Harry swung his legs up onto his bed and leaned back against his pillows, watching the moon glinting at him through the tower window. **

**He couldn't see what else they could do. They had hit dead ends everywhere. Riddle had caught the wrong person, the Heir of Slytherin had got off, and no one could tell whether it was the same person, or a different one, who had opened the Chamber this time. There was nobody else to ask. Harry lay down, still thinking about what Aragog had said. **

**He was becoming drowsy when what seemed like their very last hope occurred to him, and he suddenly sat bolt upright. **

"Atta boy!'Lily laughs.

"**Ron," he hissed through the dark, "Ron —" **

**Ron woke with a yelp like Fang's, stared wildly around, and saw Harry. **

"**Ron — that girl who died. Aragog said she was found in a bathroom," said Harry, ignoring Neville's snuffling snores from the corner. "What if she never left the bathroom? What if she's still there?" **

"Oy!" The twins shouted, their eyes wide with understanding. Many of the other students also started whispering, and it was a few minutes later that Molly could finish the last bit of the chapter.

**Ron rubbed his eyes, frowning through the moonlight. And then he understood, too. **

"**You **_**don't **_**think — not **_**Moaning Myrtle**_**?"**

"They finally understand!" George exaggerates, while everyone else laughs, as the book floats towards Hagrid, who sighs before picking it up and turning to the correct page.


	36. Chapter 36

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN, The Chamber of Secrets **

Many people started whispering about the title of the chapter, and what it would include, while James, Lily, Sirius, Remus and the Weasley's all felt a feeling of dread fit into the pits of their stomachs.

"**All those times we were in that bathroom, and she was just three toilets away," said Ron bitterly at breakfast next day, "and we could've asked her, and now…" **

"Someone's bitter," Minerva mutters, somewhat confused.

**It had been hard enough trying to look for spiders. Escaping their teachers long enough to sneak into a girls' bathroom, the girls' bathroom, moreover, right next to the scene of the first attack, was going to be almost impossible. **

"I'm sure you can do it. You are a Potter, after all," Lily interrupts with pride while James grins, sometimes still unable to believe she's his.

**But something happened in their first lesson, Transfiguration, that drove the Chamber of Secrets out of their minds for the first time in weeks. Ten minutes into the class, Professor McGonagall told them that their exams would start on the first of June, one week from today. **

"Time certainly flies," Lily laughs while Molly smiles slightly.

"_**Exams?" **_**howled Seamus Finnigan. "We're still getting exams?" **

**There was a loud bang behind Harry as Neville Longbottom's wand slipped, vanishing one of the legs on his desk. Professor McGonagall restored it with a wave of her own wand, and turned, frowning, to Seamus. **

"**The whole point of keeping the school open at this time is for you to receive your education," she said sternly. "The exams will therefore take place as usual, and I trust you are all studying hard." **

James snorted, "Really Minnie, really?" He says, shaking his head while Minerva flushes.

**Studying hard! It had never occurred to Harry that there would be exams with the castle in this state. There was a great deal of mutinous muttering around the room, which made Professor McGonagall scowl even more darkly. **

"**Professor Dumbledore's instructions were to keep the school running as normally as possible, she said. "And that, I need hardly point out, means finding out how much you have learned this year." **

**Harry looked down at the pair of white rabbits he was supposed to be turning into slippers. What had he learned so far this year? He couldn't seem to think of anything that would be useful in an exam. **

"Potter!" Minerva interrupted, while James and Lily furrowed their brows, wondering what had happened to the exceeding intelligence Harry had when he was one years old.

**Ron looked as though he'd just been told he had to go and live in the Forbidden Forest. **

"**Can you imagine me taking exams with this?" he asked Harry, holding up his wand, which had just started whistling loudly. **

"A mighty fine point, Professor," Bill states, arching his own brow.

**Three days before their first exam, Professor McGonagall made another announcement at breakfast. **

"**I have good news," she said, and the Great Hall, instead of falling silent, erupted.**

"**Dumbledore's coming back!" several people yelled joyfully. **

"**You've caught the Heir of Slytherin!" squealed a girl at the Ravenclaw table. **

"**Quidditch matches are back on!" roared Wood excitedly. **

Many people snorted at the old captain, wondering how well he was doing in his current profession.

**When the hubbub had subsided, Professor McGonagall said, "Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been Petrified. I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with our catching the culprit." **

"That means we get 'Mione back!" Lily claps, while James looks on.

"No, I don't think so. The title, Lils, The title, it wouldn't be –" James stops, noticing his wife has started to bite her lip.

**There was an explosion of cheering. Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and wasn't at all surprised to see that Draco Malfoy hadn't joined in. Ron, however, was looking happier than he'd looked in days. **

"**It won't matter that we never asked Myrtle, then!" he said to Harry. "Hermione'll probably have all the answers when they wake her up! Mind you, she'll go crazy when she finds out we've got exams in three days' time. She hasn't studied. It might be kinder to leave her where she is till they're over." **

Many people laughed at this, while Hermione laughed herself, but also blushed, and shook her head, while Harry wrapped his arm around her shoulders and brought her to him so he could talk to her.

"Thank you," He says quietly, causing Hermione to blush even more and many people to wonder what it was that Harry had said, with Ginny glaring at them and sneaking glances at her mother, who was also glaring.

James smiled, looking at his wife before kissing her, and whispering the same thing to her, making her laugh and hit him before kissing him back.

**Just then, Ginny Weasley came over and sat down next to Ron. She looked tense and nervous, and Harry noticed that her hands were twisting in her lap. **

"He noticed me!" Ginny swooned, while her brothers rolled their eyes at her.

"**What's up?" said Ron, helping himself to more porridge. Ginny didn't say anything, but glanced up and down the Gryffindor table with a scared look on her face that reminded Harry of someone, though he couldn't think who. **

"DOBBY!" James laughed, his head tilted back.

"**Spit it out," said Ron, watching her. **

**Harry suddenly realized who Ginny looked like. She was rocking backward and forward slightly in her chair, exactly like Dobby did when he was teetering on the edge of revealing forbidden information. **

Many people laughed, James included, at the imagery that presented, with Ginny blushing and glaring at the duo, whom were still wrapped around one another. She was surprised they weren't snogging or something.

"**I've got to tell you something," Ginny mumbled, carefully not looking at Harry. **

"**What is it?" said Harry. **

**Ginny looked as though she couldn't find the right words. **

"_**What?" **_**said Ron. **

**Ginny opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Harry leaned forward and spoke quietly, so that only Ginny and Ron could hear him. **

"**Is it something about the Chamber of Secrets? Have you seen something? Someone acting oddly?" **

"Honestly, I don't know how we didn't figure it out sooner," Ron mumbles to Harry, who nods, while Hermione rolls her eyes, "Honestly guys! You were twelve. Of course you wouldn't have figured it out."

**Ginny drew a deep breath and, at that precise moment, Percy Weasley appeared, looking tired and wan. **

"**If you've finished eating, I'll take that seat, Ginny. I'm starving, I've only just come off patrol duty." **

**Ginny jumped up as though her chair had just been electrified, gave Percy a fleeting, frightened look, and scampered away. Percy sat down and grabbed a mug from the center of the table. **

"**Percy!" said Ron angrily. "She was just about to tell us something important!" Halfway through a gulp of tea, Percy choked. **

Ginny laughed, realizing what he thought she was going to tell, and unable to contain herself, snorted.

"**What sort of thing?" he said, coughing. **

"**I just asked her if she'd seen anything odd, and she started to say…" **

"**Oh — that — that's nothing to do with the Chamber of Secrets," said Percy at once. **

"**How do you know?" said Ron, his eyebrows raised. **

"**Well, er, if you must know, Ginny, er, walked in on me the other day when I was — well, never mind — the point is, she spotted me doing something and I, um, I asked her not to mention it to anybody. I must say, I did think she'd keep her word. It's nothing, really, I'd just rather —" **

"Wow, he's uncomfortable." James laughs, while Sirius barks in agreement.

**Harry had never seen Percy look so uncomfortable. **

"Thinks just like his father, obviously." James laughs.

"**What were you doing, Percy?" said Ron, grinning. "Go on, tell us, we won't laugh." **

**Percy didn't smile back. **

"**Pass me those rolls, Harry, I'm starving." Harry knew the whole mystery might be solved tomorrow without their help, but he wasn't about to pass up a chance to speak to Myrtle if it turned up — and to his delight it did, midmorning, when they were being led to History of Magic by Gilderoy Lockhart. **

**Lockhart, who had so often assured them that all danger had passed, only to be proved wrong right away, was now wholeheartedly convinced that it was hardly worth the trouble to see them safely down the corridors. His hair wasn't as sleek as usual; it seemed he had been up most of the night, patrolling the fourth floor. **

Many of the adults rolled their eyes, unable to believe this guy.

"**Mark my words," he said, ushering them around a corner. "The first words out of those poor Petrified people's mouths will be '**_**It was Hagrid**_**.' Frankly, I'm astounded Professor McGonagall thinks all these security measures are necessary." **

"It was not Hagrid!" Lily and Hermione shout, while Hermione stands up, clenching her fists. Harry, smiling lightly, brings her back down and rubs her arm soothingly, until she truly stops trembling from anger.

"And those 'security measures' were indeed necessary," Minerva snarls, surprising many young students.

"**I agree, sir," said Harry, making Ron drop his books in surprise. **

"WHAT?" James questions, looking utterly confused.

"**Thank you, Harry," said Lockhart graciously while they waited for a long line of Hufflepuffs to pass. "I mean, we teachers have quite enough to be getting on with, without walking students to classes and standing guard all night…"**

"**That's right," said Ron, catching on. "Why don't you leave us here, sir, we've only got one more corridor to go —" **

"Oh, you guys are brilliant." Hermione laughs, clapping.

"**You know, Weasley, I think I will," said Lockhart. "I really should go and prepare my next class —" And he hurried off. **

"Why that—"

"Potter! Just as bad as James!" Minerva interrupts Poppy, scowling, before breaking out into laughter.

"**Prepare his class," Ron sneered after him. "Gone to curl his hair, more like." **

The hall snorted, while Dolores snorted, wanting to get to some Azkaban-worthy information involving Potter.

**They let the rest of the Gryffindors draw ahead of them, then darted down a side passage and hurried off toward Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. But just as they were congratulating each other on their brilliant scheme. **

"**Potter! Weasley! What are you doing?" **

"Minnie, let my son sneak off in peace!" James laughs.

**It was Professor McGonagall, and her mouth was the thinnest of thin lines. **

"**We were — we were —" Ron stammered. "We were going to — to go and see —" **

"**Hermione," said Harry. Ron and Professor McGonagall both looked at him. **

"**We haven't seen her for ages, Professor," Harry went on hurriedly, treading on Ron's foot, "and we thought we'd sneak into the hospital wing, you know, and tell her the Mandrakes are nearly ready and, er, not to worry —" **

"Awww," Many of the females cooed while Harry blushed and Hermione gave him a kiss on the cheek, causing him to turn as red as Ron's hair, and everyone else to laugh.

**Professor McGonagall was still staring at him, and for a moment, Harry thought she was going to explode, but when she spoke, it was in a strangely croaky voice. **

"**Of course," she said, and Harry, amazed, saw a tear glistening in her beady eye. "Of course, I realize this has all been hardest on the friends of those who have been… I quite understand. Yes, Potter, of course you may visit Miss Granger. I will inform Professor Binns where you've gone. Tell Madam Pomfrey I have given my permission." **

"You were always a softie, MinMin." Harry laughs, while Minerva glares lightly before smiling.

**Harry and Ron walked away, hardly daring to believe that they'd avoided detention. As they turned the corner, they distinctly heard Professor McGonagall blow her nose. **

"**That," said Ron fervently, "was the best story you've ever come up with." **

**They had no choice now but to go to the hospital wing and tell Madam Pomfrey that they had Professor McGonagall's permission to visit Hermione. **

"The best thing we ever did, let me tell you." Harry states, smiling at Hermione, who squeezes his hand in return.

**Madam Pomfrey let them in, but reluctantly. **

"**There's just no point talking to a Petrified. person," she said, and they had to admit she had a point when they'd taken their seats next to Hermione. It was plain that Hermione didn't have the faintest inkling that she had visitors, and that they might just as well tell her bedside cabinet not to worry for all the good it would do. **

Hermione wrinkled her nose, 'But wouldn't it be like talking to someone in a coma?" She questions, looking towards Lily, who is also looking off in thought.

"You would think, wouldn't you, 'Mione?" She replies, writing it down on her list.

"**Wonder if she did see the attacker, though?" said Ron, looking sadly at Hermione's rigid face. "Because if he sneaked up on them all, no one'll ever know…" **

**But Harry wasn't looking at Hermione's face. He was more interested in her right hand. It lay clenched on top of her blankets, and bending closer, he saw that a piece of paper was scrunched inside her fist. **

"OH YOU FOUND IT!" Hermione interrupts, hugging Harry, causing everyone to laugh at her antics.

**Making sure that Madam Pomfrey was nowhere near, he pointed this out to Ron. **

"**Go on and get it out," Ron whispered, shifting his chair so that he blocked Harry from Madam Pomfrey's view. **

**It was no easy task. Hermione's hand was clamped so tightly around the paper that Harry was sure he was going to tear it. While Ron kept watch he tugged and twisted, and at last, after several tense minutes, the paper came free. **

**It was a page torn from a very old library book. Harry smoothed it out eagerly and Ron leaned close to read it, too. **

"_**Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it." **_

**And beneath this, a single word had been written, in a hand Harry recognized as Hermione's. **_**Pipes**_**. **

"Oh!" Many of the older students, plus James, Lily and the staff stated,

**It was as though somebody had just flicked a light on in his brain.**

"But he should've known. He should be just as smart, if not a little more, than Hermione." James whispers to Lily who nods her head in agreement and furrows her brow.

"**Ron," he breathed. "This is it. This is the answer. The monster in the Chamber's a **_**basilisk **_**— a giant serpent! **_**That's **_**why I've been hearing that voice all over the place, and nobody else has heard it. It's because I understand Parseltongue…" **

**Harry looked up at the beds around him. **

"**The basilisk kills people by looking at them. But no one's died — because no one looked it straight in the eye. Colin saw it through his camera. The basilisk burned up all the film inside it, but Colin just got Petrified. Justin… Justin must've seen the basilisk through Nearly Headless Nick! Nick got the full blast of it, but he couldn't die again… and Hermione and that Ravenclaw prefect were found with a mirror next to them. Hermione had just realized the monster was a basilisk. I bet you anything she warned the first person she met to look around corners with a mirror first! And that girl pulled out her mirror — and —" Rods jaw had dropped. **

"**And Mrs. Norris?" he whispered eagerly. **

"The water, of course!" James says, while Snape looks at him in surprise, having also come to the same conclusion.

"And here I thought you were daft." He says, trying to hide his surprise.

**Harry thought hard, picturing the scene on the night of Halloween. **

"**The water…" he said slowly. "The flood from Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. I bet you Mrs. Norris only saw the reflection…" He scanned the page in his hand eagerly. The more he looked at it, the more it made sense. **

"… _**The crowing of the rooster… is fatal to it"! **_**he read aloud. "Hagrid's roosters were killed! The Heir of Slytherin didn't want one anywhere near the castle once the Chamber was opened! **_**Spiders flee before it.! **_**It all fits!" **

"**But how's the basilisk been getting around the place?" said Ron. "A giant snake… Someone would've seen…" **

**Harry, however, pointed at the word Hermione had scribbled at the foot of the page. **

"**Pipes," he said. "Pipes… Ron, it's been using the plumbing. I've been hearing that voice inside the walls…" **

**Ron suddenly grabbed Harry's arm. **

"**The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets!" he said hoarsely. "What if it's a bathroom? What if it's in —" **

"_**Moaning Myrtle's bathroom," **_**said Harry. **

"Oh, they've figured it out!" James and Lily clap, laughing, while the two of them grin and blush lightly.

**They sat there, excitement coursing through them, hardly able to believe it. **

"**This means," said Harry, "I can't be the only Parselmouth in the school. The Heir of Slytherin's one, too. That's how he's been controlling the basilisk." **

"**What're we going to do?" said Ron, whose eyes were flashing. "Should we go straight to McGonagall?" **

"**Let's go to the staff room," said Harry, jumping up. "She'll be there in ten minutes. It's nearly break." **

**They ran downstairs. Not wanting to be discovered hanging around in another corridor, they went straight into the deserted staff room. It was a large, paneled room full of dark, wooden chairs. Harry and Ron paced around it, too excited to sit down. **

**But the bell to signal break never came. **

"Oh, no." Lily groaned, realizing just what might be going on.

**Instead, echoing through the corridors came Professor McGonagall's voice, magically magnified. **

"**All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please." **

**Harry wheeled around to stare at Ron. "Not another attack? Not now?" **

"**What'll we do?" said Ron, aghast. "Go back to the dormitory?" **

"**No," said Harry, glancing around. There was an ugly sort of wardrobe to his left, full of the teachers' cloaks. "In here. Let's hear what it's all about. Then we can tell them what we've found out." **

"POTTER!" Minerva scolded, while Harry flinched and Sirius growled lightly before licking Harry's hand.

**They hid themselves inside it, listening to the rumbling of hundreds of people moving overhead, and the staff room door banging open. From between the musty folds of the cloaks, they watched the teachers filtering into the room. Some of them were looking puzzled, others downright scared. Then Professor McGonagall arrived. **

"**It has happened," she told the silent staff room. "A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself." **

**Professor Flitwick let out a squeal. Professor Sprout clapped her hands over her mouth. Snape gripped the back of a chair very hard and said, "How can you be sure?"**

"**The Heir of Slytherin," said Professor McGonagall, who was very white, "left another message. Right underneath the first one. **_**'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.' **_**" **

**Professor Flitwick burst into tears. **

"**Who is it?" said Madam Hooch, who had sunk, weak-kneed, into a chair. "Which student?"**

"Let me guess," Lily begins, "Ginny Weasley." She finished dryly. Molly's head snapped up, her eyes into near slits.

"Why do you say that?" She snaps.

"Because it all fits!" Lily snaps back before sighing herself, "She's been acting different, oddly. The person has to be a Gryffindor because of the diary getting stolen, she feels the guilt eating at her, though many others misplace it. She's eleven, but acts like she's five and therefore, probably doesn't have any thought of whatever consequences could happen by doing something –" Here, both Molly and Ginny glare, anger showing clearly at their faces.

"How dare you!" Ginny interrupts, standing up with her wand in her hand.

"See what I mean?" Lily replies, her hand in an open position, towards Ginny, who blushes and looks down before she sits back down.

"She needs to begin thinking about her actions before doing them, and the consequences about those actions!"

"She was only eleven!" Molly shouts.

"And yet, four years later, she's still acting that way!' Lily snaps, getting tired of arguing over something so trivial.

"Hagrid, please continue." James interrupts before Molly can continue, noticing how his wife is beginning to get truly anger.

"**Ginny Weasley," said Professor McGonagall. Harry felt Ron slide silently down onto the wardrobe floor beside him. **

Molly sat down here, her face clearly red, while Harry glared lightly and Hermione calmed him down. "Because cursing my mother will help their case." He snarls quietly to Hermione and Ron who both nod their heads in agreement.

"**We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow," said Professor McGonagall. "This is the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said…"**

**The staffroom door banged open again. For one wild moment, Harry was sure it would be Dumbledore. But it was Lockhart, and he was beaming. **

"Why is he beaming?" Lily snaps, still clearly upset.

"**So sorry — dozed off — what have I missed?" He didn't seem to notice that the other teachers were looking at him with something remarkably like hatred. Snape stepped forward. **

"**Just the man," he said. "The very man. A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come at last." **

**Lockhart blanched. **

James snorted, rolling his eyes, having a feeling that Lockhart was a fraud.

"**That's right, Gilderoy," chipped in Professor Sprout. "Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?" **

"**I — well, I —"sputtered Lockhart. **

"**Yes, didn't you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?" piped up Professor Flitwick. **

"**D-did I? I don't recall —" **

"**I certainly remember you saying you were sorry you hadn't had a crack at the monster before Hagrid was arrested," said Snape. "Didn't you say that the whole affair had been bungled, and that you should have been given a free rein from the first?" **

This time, it was Lily who snorted, but in disgust. "That man, I –" She stops, sighing before glaring at the book.

**Lockhart stared around at his stony-faced colleagues. **

"**I — I really never — you may have misunderstood —" **

"**We'll leave it to you, then, Gilderoy," said Professor McGonagall. "Tonight will be an excellent time to do it. We'll make sure everyone's out of your way. You'll be able to tackle the monster all by yourself. A free rein at last." **

**Lockhart gazed desperately around him, but nobody came to the rescue. He didn't look remotely handsome anymore. His lip was trembling, and in the absence of his usually toothy grin, he looked weak-chinned and feeble. **

"**V-very well," he said. "I'll — I'll be in my office, getting — getting ready." And he left the room. **

"Why do I doubt that?" James interrupted, in a way that reminded many people of Snape.

"**Right," said Professor McGonagall, whose nostrils were flared, "that's got **_**him **_**out from under our feet. The Heads of Houses should go and inform their students what has happened. Tell them the Hogwarts Express will take them home first thing tomorrow. Will the rest of you please make sure no students have been left outside their dormitories." **

**The teachers rose and left, one by one. **

**It was probably the worst day of Harry's entire life. He, Ron, Fred, and George sat together in a corner of the Gryffindor common room, unable to say anything to each other. Percy wasn't there. He had gone to send an owl to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, then shut himself up in his dormitory. **

**No afternoon ever lasted as long as that one, nor had Gryffindor Tower ever been so crowded, yet so quiet. Near sunset, Fred and George went up to bed, unable to sit there any longer. **

"**She knew something, Harry," said Ron, speaking for the first time since they had entered the wardrobe in the staff room. "That's why she was taken. It wasn't some stupid thing about Percy at all. She'd found out something about the Chamber of Secrets. That must be why she was —" Ron rubbed his eyes frantically. "I mean, she was a pure-blood. There can't be any other reason." **

"Why we didn't see it sooner," Ron states, shaking his head, while Hermione squeezes his shoulder and Harry pats his back.

**Harry could see the sun sinking, blood-red, below the skyline. This was the worst he had ever felt. If only there was something they could do. Anything. **

"**Harry" said Ron. "D'you think there's any chance at all she's not — you know —" **

**Harry didn't know what to say. He couldn't see how Ginny could still be alive. **

James couldn't help but laugh, which caused many people to look at him in confusion. "Sorry, sorry. I just. Wow, my son's a pessimist."

"**D'you know what?" said Ron. "I think we should go and see Lockhart. Tell him what we know. He's going to try and get into the Chamber. We can tell him where we think it is, and tell him it's a basilisk in there." **

"I agree with this plan," Mad-Eye interrupts, with many of the students jumping by his voice.

**Because Harry couldn't think of anything else to do, and because he wanted to be doing something, he agreed. The Gryffindors around them were so miserable, and felt so sorry for the Weasleys, that nobody tried to stop them as they got up, crossed the room, and left through the portrait hole. **

**Darkness was falling as they walked down to Lockhart's office. There seemed to be a lot of activity going on inside it. They could hear scraping, thumps, and hurried footsteps. **

"What in the name of bloody Merlin is he doing?" Lily questions, furrowing her brow.

**Harry knocked and there was a sudden silence from inside. Then the door opened the tiniest crack and they saw one of Lockhart's eyes peering through it. **

"**Oh — Mr. Potter — Mr. Weasley —" he said, opening the door a bit wider. "I'm rather busy at the moment —if you would be quick —" **

"**Professor, we've got some information for you," said Harry. "We think it'll help you." **

"**Er — well — it's not terribly —" The side of Lockhart's face that they could see looked very uncomfortable. "I mean — well — all right —" **

"Why is he so hesitant?" A second year asks, while many people shrug.

**He opened the door and they entered. **

**His office had been almost completely stripped.**

"He isn't!" Hagrid interrupts, shocked.

**Two large trunks stood open on the floor. Robes, jade-green, lilac, midnight blue, had been hastily folded into one of them; books were jumbled untidily into the other. The photographs that had covered the walls were now crammed into boxes on the desk. **

"I think he is," Minerva grimaces.

"**Are you going somewhere?" said Harry. **

"**Er, well, yes," said Lockhart, ripping a life-size poster of himself from the back of the door as he spoke and starting to roll it up. "Urgent call — unavoidable — got to go —" **

"What an asshole," Hermione mutters, her eyes turning into slits.

"**What about my sister?" said Ron jerkily. **

"**Well, as to that — most unfortunate —" said Lockhart, avoiding their eyes as he wrenched open a drawer and started emptying the contents into a bag. "No one regrets more than I —" **

"Chicken shit!" James interrupts, his fist slamming onto the table.

"**You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!" said Harry. "You can't go now! Not with all the Dark stuff going on here!" **

"**Well — I must say — when I took the job —" Lockhart muttered, now piling socks on top of his robes. "nothing in the job description — didn't expect —" **

"**You mean you're **_**running away**_**?" said Harry disbelievingly. "After all that stuff you did in your books —" **

"What a disgrace," Poppy states.

"Honestly, Albus what were you thinking?" Amelia questions, looking over to the headmaster, who grimaces slightly.

"**Books can be misleading," said Lockhart delicately. **

"YOU WROTE THEM!" Someone shouts.

"**You wrote them!" Harry shouted. **

"Exactly!" The twins also interrupt, unhappily.

"**My dear boy," said Lockhart, straightening up and frowning at Harry. "Do use your common sense. My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think **_**I'd **_**done all those things. No one wants to read about some ugly old Armenian warlock, even if he did save a village from werewolves. He'd look dreadful on the front cover. No dress sense at all. And the witch who banished the Bandon Banshee had a harelip. I mean, come on —" **

"He's actually admitting that he's a fraud." Lily gasps, while many people begin to speak furiously over all of the money they had to give the bastard.

"Aunt Amelia, is there anything we can do this?" Susan questions, unimpressed, while Amelia bites her lip.

"I'm unsure, but I'll definitely find a way to repay everyone."

"**So you've just been taking credit for what a load of other people have done?" said Harry incredulously. **

"**Harry, Harry," said Lockhart, shaking his head impatiently, "it's not nearly as simple as that. There was work involved. I had to track these people down. Ask them exactly how they managed to do what they did. Then I had to put a Memory Charm on them so they wouldn't remember doing it. If there's one thing I pride myself on, it's my Memory Charms. No, it's been a lot of work, Harry. It's not all book signings and publicity photos, you know. You want fame, you have to be prepared for a long hard slog." **

James, plus many of the other adults, could be heard growling and snarling, unimpressed with the old professor.

**He banged the lids of his trunks shut and locked them. **

"**Let's see," he said. "I think that's everything. Yes. Only one thing left." **

**He pulled out his wand and turned to them. **

"Don't you dare!' Lily snarls, her fists clenched and half-moons forming on her palm because of it.

"**Awfully sorry, boys, but I'll have to put a Memory Charm on you now. Can't have you blabbing my secrets all over the place. I'd never sell another book —" **

**Harry reached his wand just in time. Lockhart had barely raised his, when Harry bellowed, "**_**Expelliarmus!**_**" **

"I pride myself on my expelliarmus spells," Harry snorts, while Ron grins and shakes his head.

**Lockhart was blasted backward, falling over his trunk; his wand flew high into the air; Ron caught it, and flung it out of the open window. **

"**Shouldn't have let Professor Snape teach us that one," said Harry furiously, kicking Lockhart's trunk aside. Lockhart was looking up at him, feeble once more. Harry was still pointing his wand at him. **

"**What d'you want me to do?" said Lockhart weakly. "I don't know where the Chamber of Secrets is. There's nothing I can do." **

"**You're in luck," said Harry, forcing Lockhart to his feet at wandpoint. "We think **_**we **_**know where it is. **_**And **_**what's inside it. Let's go." **

"Fierce." Hermione laughs, causing Harry to blush.

**They marched Lockhart out of his office and down the nearest stairs, along the dark corridor where the messages shone on the wall, to the door of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. They sent Lockhart in first. Harry was pleased to see that he was shaking. **

"Good." Lily says, nodding her head quickly in approval.

**Moaning Myrtle was sitting on the tank of the end toilet. **

"**Oh, it's you," she said when she saw Harry. "What do you want this time?" **

"Please, like she wasn't happy to see you mate," Ron grins while Harry rolls his eyes.

"**To ask you how you died," said Harry. **

"She won't like that." Someone mutters.

**Myrtle's whole aspect changed at once. She looked as though she had never been asked such a flattering question. **

"Okay, maybe she will," The same person interrupts, surprised.

"**Ooooh, it was dreadful," she said with relish. "It happened right in here. I died in this very stall. I remember it so well. I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. The door was locked, and I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in. They said something funny. A different language, I think it must have been. Anyway, what really got me was that it was a **_**boy **_**speaking. So I unlocked the door, to tell him to go and use his own toilet, and then —" Myrtle swelled importantly, her face shining. "I **_**died**_**." **

"But _how_?" A first year questions, on the edge of their seat.

"**How?" said Harry. **

"**No idea," said Myrtle in hushed tones. "I just remember seeing a pair of great, big, yellow eyes. My whole body sort of seized up, and then I was floating away…" She looked dreamily at Harry. "And then I came back again. I was determined to haunt Olive Hornby, you see. Oh, she was sorry she'd ever laughed at my glasses." **

"**Where exactly did you see the eyes?" said Harry. **

"**Somewhere there," said Myrtle, pointing vaguely toward the sink in front of her toilet. **

**Harry and Ron hurried over to it. Lockhart was standing well back, a look of utter terror on his face. **

"Wow, he really is a chicken shit," Arthur states, while his sons laugh and Molly looks at him with disapproval.

**It looked like an ordinary sink. They examined every inch of it, inside and out, including the pipes below. And then Harry saw it: Scratched on the side of one of the copper taps was a tiny snake. **

"**That tap's never worked," said Myrtle brightly as he tried to turn it. **

"**Harry," said Ron. "Say something. Something in Parseltongue." **

"**But —" Harry thought hard. The only times he'd ever managed to speak Parseltongue were when he'd been faced with a real snake. He stared hard at the tiny engraving, trying to imagine it was real. **

"**Open up," he said. **

**He looked at Ron, who shook his head. **

"**English," he said. **

"Well, that won't work," James snorts.

**Harry looked back at the snake, willing himself to believe it was alive. If he moved his head, the candlelight made it look as though it were moving. **

"**Open up," he said. **

**Except that the words weren't what he heard; a strange hissing had escaped him, and at once the tap glowed with a brilliant white light and began to spin. Next second, the sink began to move; the sink, in fact, sank, right out of sight, leaving a large pipe exposed, a pipe wide enough for a man to slide into. Harry heard Ron gasp and looked up again. He had made up his mind what he was going to do. **

"Why does this not surprise me?" Remus asks, shaking his head while chuckling. Sirius, who hadn't barked recently, put his head on Harry's lap, getting worried.

"**I'm going down there," he said. **

**He couldn't not go, not now they had found the entrance to the Chamber, not if there was even the faintest, slimmest, wildest chance that Ginny might be alive. **

"**Me too," said Ron. **

**There was a pause. **

"**Well, you hardly seem to need me," said Lockhart, with a shadow of his old smile. "I'll just —" **

"Don't even think about it, you slimy git." Hermione snarls, crossing her arms across her chest angrily.

**He put his hand on the door knob, but Ron and Harry both pointed their wands at him. **

"**You can go first," Ron snarled. White-faced and wandless, Lockhart approached the opening. **

"**Boys," he said, his voice feeble. "Boys, what good will it do?" **

"Just go, already." Lily sighs, stomping her foot slightly.

**Harry jabbed him in the back with his wand. Lockhart slid his legs into the pipe. **

"**I really don't think —" he started to say, but Ron gave him a push, and he slid out of sight. Harry followed quickly. He lowered himself slowly into the pipe, then let go. **

"Does he have to slide, jump into, or let go of something in _every_ book?" James questions, realizing how familiar the previous scene was to the Devils Snare scene.

**It was like rushing down an endless, slimy, dark slide. He could see more pipes branching off in all directions, but none as large as theirs, which twisted and turned, sloping steeply downward, and he knew that he was falling deeper below the school than even the dungeons. Behind him he could hear Ron, thudding slightly at the curves. **

**And then, just as he had begun to worry about what would happen when he hit the ground, the pipe leveled out, and he shot out of the end with a wet thud, landing on the damp floor of a dark stone tunnel large enough to stand in. Lockhart was getting to his feet a little ways away, covered in slime and white as a ghost. Harry stood aside as Ron came whizzing out of the pipe, too. **

"**We must be miles under the school," said Harry, his voice echoing in the black tunnel. **

"**Under the lake, probably," said Ron, squinting around at the dark, slimy walls. **

**All three of them turned to stare into the darkness ahead. **

"_**Lumos!**_**" Harry muttered to his wand and it lit again. "C'mon," he said to Ron and Lockhart, and off they went, their footsteps slapping loudly on the wet floor. **

**The tunnel was so dark that they could only see a little distance ahead. Their shadows on the wet walls looked monstrous in the wandlight. **

"**Remember," Harry said quietly as they walked cautiously forward, "any sign of movement, close your eyes right away…" **

**But the tunnel was quiet as the grave, and the first unexpected sound they heard was a loud **_**crunch **_**as Ron stepped on what turned out to be a rat's skull. Harry lowered his wand to look at the floor and saw that it was littered with small animal bones. Trying very hard not to imagine what Ginny might look like if they found her, Harry led the way forward, around a dark bend in the tunnel. **

"It's just another foreshadow of how we're destined for one another," Ginny whispers to her mother, who nods knowingly while Lily and Hermione sigh, rolling their eyes.

"**Harry — there's something up there —" said Ron hoarsely, grabbing Harry's shoulder. **

**They froze, watching. Harry could just see the outline of something huge and curved, lying right across the tunnel. It wasn't moving. **

"**Maybe it's asleep," he breathed, glancing back at the other two. Lockhart's hands were pressed over his eyes. Harry turned back to look at the thing, his heart beating so fast it hurt. **

"He _covered _his eyes?" James laughs, wondering how anyone could believe this guy did so much of the stuff he wrote about it.

**Very slowly, his eyes as narrow as he could make them and still see, Harry edged forward, his wand held high. **

**The light slid over a gigantic snake skin, of a vivid, poisonous green, lying curled and empty across the tunnel floor. The creature that had shed it must have been twenty feet long at least. **

"Wow."

"**Blimey," said Ron weakly. **

**There was a sudden movement behind them. Gilderoy Lockhart's knees had given way. **

"**Get up," said Ron sharply, pointing his wand at Lockhart. **

**Lockhart got to his feet — then he dived at Ron, knocking him to the ground. Harry jumped forward, but too late — Lockhart was straightening up, panting, Ron's wand in his hand and a gleaming smile back on his face. **

"He truly is an idiot, if he's forgotten about Ron's wand problem," George snorts, while Fred laughs and Ron blushes.

"**The adventure ends here, boys!" he said. "I shall take a bit of this skin back up to the school, tell them I was too late to save the girl, and that you two **_**tragically **_**lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body — say good-bye to your memories!" **

**He raised Ron's Spellotaped wand high over his head and yelled**_**, "Obliviate!**_**" **

"Now he truly is stupid," Lily sighs, trying not to laugh.

**The wand exploded with the force of a small bomb. Harry flung his arms over his head and ran, slipping over the coils of snake skin, out of the way of great chunks of tunnel ceiling that were thundering to the floor. Next moment, he was standing alone, gazing at a solid wall of broken rock. **

"Oh no, they've been separated." James groans, knowing that that's never a good thing.

"**Ron!" he shouted. "Are you okay? Ron!" **

"I would hope so." Molly mutters to herself, while many people try to get her to remain quiet.

"**I'm here!" came Ron's muffled voice from behind the rockfall. "I'm okay — this git's not, though — he got blasted by the wand —" **

"You mean he erased his own memory?" James laughs, hopeful, while Lily smiles.

**There was a dull thud and a loud "ow!" It sounded as though Ron had just kicked Lockhart in the shins. **

"Very nice, little brother," Bill and Charlie laugh, while Ron just shrugs.

"**What now?" Ron's voice said, sounding desperate. "We can't get through — it'll take ages…" **

**Harry looked up at the tunnel ceiling. Huge cracks had appeared in it. He had never tried to break apart anything as large as these rocks by magic, and now didn't seem a good moment to try — what if the whole tunnel caved in? **

**There was another thud and another "ow!" from behind the rocks. They were wasting time. Ginny had already been in the Chamber of Secrets for hours… Harry knew there was only one thing to do. **

"Oh, Harry," Hermione began, putting her head in her hands. "Why do you always have to be the one to do things?" She finishes quietly, kissing him slightly on the lips, while many people aw and coo and Harry blushes. James and Lily grin and Sirius wags his tail, knowing that Harry's thankful he's a dog at this right second.

"**Wait there," he called to Ron. "Wait with Lockhart. I'll go on… If I'm not back in an hour…" **

**There was a very pregnant pause, "I'll try and shift some of this rock," said Ron, who seemed to be trying to keep his voice steady. "So you can — can get back through. And, Harry —" **

"**See you in a bit," said Harry, trying to inject some confidence into his shaking voice. **

**And he set off alone past the giant snake skin.**

"You mean you weren't always so confident?" Cho asks, while many of the Gryffindors laugh and Harry blushes even more, still thinking about the kiss Hermione gave him.

**Soon the distant noise of Ron straining to shift the rocks was gone. The tunnel turned and turned again. Every nerve in Harry's body was tingling unpleasantly. He wanted the tunnel to end, yet dreaded what he'd find when it did. And then, at last, as he crept around yet another bend, he saw a solid wall ahead on which two entwined serpents were carved, their eyes set with great, glinting emeralds. **

"Because that's not a scary image at all," A first year mumbles, wrapping his arms around himself to try and get some comfort.

**Harry approached, his throat very dry. There was no need to pretend these stone snakes were real; their eyes looked strangely alive. **

Many people shuddered, hoping that that wasn't the actual ase.

**He could guess what he had to do. He cleared his throat, and the emerald eyes seemed to flicker. **

"_**Open," **_**said Harry, in a low, faint hiss. **

"I don't think I'll ever get use to this." A slytherin seventh year mumbles, shaking a little.

**The serpents parted as the wall cracked open, the halves slid smoothly out of sight, and Harry, shaking from head to foot, walked inside.**

Hagrid closed the book before letting it float a little ways above the table, before letting out a deep sigh. Everyone had remained quiet, knowing that they were getting close to the end of the book, knowing that things were only just going to get interesting.

After a few minutes, the book floats towards Poppy, who grabs it, but can't get a firm hold onto it. She tries to keep a firm grip on the book for a good five minutes until finally, the book leaves and floats over to George, who grabs it – and is able to keep it – hesitantly, looking at Poppy interestingly and in confusion.


	37. Chapter 37

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, The Heir of Slytherin **

**He was standing at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber. Towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place. His heart beating very fast, Harry stood listening to the chill silence. Could the basilisk be lurking in a shadowy corner, behind a pillar? And where was Ginny? **

"See sweetheart, he cares." Molly says, playing with Ginny's hair, while many people look at them like their delusioned.

**He pulled out his wand and moved forward between the serpentine columns. Every careful footstep echoed loudly off the shadowy walls. **

"I hate when that happens during a very important time," Neville states, having remained quiet for quite a while.

**He kept his eyes narrowed, ready to clamp them shut at the smallest sign of movement. **

"Where's your Gryffindor bravery, mate?" George interrupts himself, smirking when Harry just shrugs.

**The hollow eye sockets of the stone snakes seemed to be following him. More than once, with a jolt of the stomach, he thought he saw one stir. **

"Oh god, that's creepy," Ron mumbles, shuddering slightly.

**Then, as he drew level with the last pair of pillars, a statue high as the Chamber itself loomed into view, standing against the back wall. **

**Harry had to crane his neck to look up into the giant face above: It was ancient and monkeyish, with a long, thin beard that fell almost to the bottom of the wizard's sweeping stone robes, where two enormous gray feet stood on the smooth Chamber floor. **

"Holy shit, it's Salazar himself." James mumbles, his mouth opening up in shock while Lily starts rocking a little.

**And between the feet, facedown, lay a small, black-robed figure with flaming-red hair. **

"**Ginny!" Harry muttered, sprinting to her and dropping to his knees. "Ginny — don't be dead — please don't be dead —" **

"Awww," Ginny coos while Ron rolls his eyes.

"He said _please_ because he didn't want his best friends family to have to go through the pain of their youngest being murder because of her idiocy." Hermione snarls, just as tired as everyone else is over Ginny trying to make it seem like she'll end up with Harry.

**He flung his wand aside, grabbed Ginny's shoulders, and turned her over. Her face was white as marble, and as cold, yet her eyes were closed, so she wasn't Petrified. But then she must be… **

"**Ginny, please wake up," Harry muttered desperately, shaking her. Ginny's head lolled hopelessly from side to side. **

"**She won't wake," said a soft voice. **

"Oh god," Lily groans while James wraps his arm around her shoulders.

**Harry jumped and spun around on his knees. A tall, black-haired boy was leaning against the nearest pillar, watching. He was strangely blurred around the edges, as though Harry were looking at him through a misted window. But there was no mistaking him. **

"**Tom — Tom Riddle?" Riddle nodded, not taking his eyes off Harry's face. **

"**What d'you mean, she won't wake?" Harry said desperately. "She's not — she's not —?" **

"**She's still alive," said Riddle. "But only just." **

**Harry stared at him. Tom Riddle had been at Hogwarts fifty years ago, yet here he stood, a weird, misty light shining about him, not a day older than sixteen. **

"**Are you a ghost?" Harry said uncertainly. **

"At least he knows there's something to be uncertain about," Mad-Eye mumbles.

"**A memory," said Riddle quietly. "Preserved in a diary for fifty years." **

**He pointed toward the floor near the statue's giant toes. Lying open there was the little black diary Harry had found in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. For a second, Harry wondered how it had got there — but there were more pressing matters to deal with. **

"Actually, it's very important." James interrupts, beginning to glare between the book and Albus, knowing that if a book can preserve a memory – well, he _was_ an auror, and there were rumors about what Voldemort was doing. If Tom had indeed done so, there would be hell to pay.

"**You've got to help me, Tom," Harry said, raising Ginny's head again. "We've got to get her out of here. There's a basilisk… I don't know where it is, but it could be along any moment… Please, help me." **

"He's not going to help you, is he?" Someone questions, and Harry grimaces.

**Riddle didn't move. Harry, sweating, managed to hoist Ginny half off the floor, and bent to pick up his wand again. **

**But his wand had gone. **

"Oh Merlin," James grimaces.

"**Did you see —?" **

**He looked up. Riddle was still watching him — twirling Harry's wand between his long fingers. **

"**Thanks," said Harry, stretching out his hand for it. A smile curled the corners of Riddle's mouth. He continued to stare at Harry, twirling the wand idly. **

"Man, I was so naïve." Harry mutters, grimacing.

"**Listen," said Harry urgently, his knees sagging with Ginny's dead weight. "We've got to go! If the basilisk comes —" **

"**It won't come until it is called," said Riddle calmly. Harry lowered Ginny back onto the floor, unable to hold her up any longer. **

"**What d'you mean?" he said. "Look, give me my wand, I might need it —" **

**Riddle's smile broadened. "You won't be needing it," he said. **

**Harry stared at him. "What d'you mean, I won't be —?" **

"**I've waited a long time for this, Harry Potter," said Riddle. "For the chance to see you. To speak to you." **

"**Look," said Harry, losing patience, "I don't think you get it. We're in the Chamber of Secrets. We can talk later —" **

Many people stared at Harry, wondering what was going on, truly not knowing who Tom was.

"**We're going to talk now," said Riddle, still smiling broadly, and he pocketed Harry's wand. **

**Harry stared at him. There was something very funny going on here… **

"At least you noticed," Mad-Eye grumbles once more.

"**How did Ginny get like this?" he asked slowly. **

"**Well, that's an interesting question," said Riddle pleasantly. "And quite a long story. I suppose the real reason Ginny Weasley's like this is because she opened her heart and spilled all her secrets to an invisible stranger." **

"Idiot girl," James mumbles while Molly glares and Hermione giggles at Harry's smirk and Ron's laugh.

"**What are you talking about?" said Harry. **

"**The diary," said Riddle. "My diary. Little Ginny's been writing in it for months and months, telling me all her pitiful worries and woes —"**

"How can eleven year old – that acts like a five year old, mind you – have worries and woes?" Lily questions seriously, while Molly continues to glare.

"**- how her brothers tease her, how she had to come to school with secondhand robes and books, how —" Riddle's eyes glinted "— how she didn't think famous, good, great Harry Potter would ever like her…" **

"I love how the first word of that is _famous_," Cho states, rolling her eyes.

"Like you didn't think the same thing?" Ginny snarls, while Cho giggles.

"Actually, no. My mother went to school with Harry's dad, and had a crush on him. So when I first started talking to Harry, I thought of him as 'the son who belonged to the guy my mom still fantasizes about'." Cho finishes, rolling her eyes while James tilts his head looking at her and squinting.

**All the time he spoke, Riddle's eyes never left Harry's face. There was an almost hungry look in them. **

"Oh, please get out of there, Harry." Lily moans, while James looks at her.

"You do know he's right there, right?" He questions, causing Lily to slap him on the arm.

"Well, of course I do." She finishes.

"**It's very boring, having to listen to the silly little troubles of an eleven-year-old girl," he went on. "But I was patient. I wrote back. I was sympathetic, I was kind. Ginny simply loved me. No one's ever understood me like you, Tom… I'm so glad I've got this diary to confide in… It's like having a friend I can carry around in my pocket…" Riddle laughed, a high, cold laugh that didn't suit him. It made the hairs stand up on the back of Harry's neck. **

"**If I say it myself, Harry, I've always been able to charm the people I needed. So Ginny poured out her soul to me, and her soul happened to be exactly what I wanted… I grew stronger and stronger on a diet of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets. I grew powerful, far more powerful than little Miss Weasley. Powerful enough to start feeding Miss Weasley a few of my secrets, to start pouring a little of my soul back into her…" **

"That bastard," Molly snarls, wrapping an arm around her daughter, who pulls away slightly while grimacing. At the same time, James had his eyes into slits, glaring at the book, realizing what the diary truly was and not liking that.

"James?" Lily whispers, noticing the look on her husband.

"Later." He replies, calming down a little.

"**What d'you mean?" said Harry, whose mouth had gone very dry. **

"**Haven't you guessed yet, Harry Potter?" said Riddle softly. "Ginny Weasley opened the Chamber of Secrets. She strangled the school roosters and daubed threatening messages on the walls. She set the Serpent of Slytherin on four Mudbloods, and the Squib's cat." **

Many of the people in the great hall could feel their eyes widening in surprise, the older students never having known who had indeed opened the chamber, always wondering about it when they learned everything had been solved. At the same time, Ginny began shrinking back into her mother, flinching and grimacing, knowing how bad this makes her seem.

"**No," Harry whispered. **

"**Yes," said Riddle, calmly. "Of course, she didn't know what she was doing at first. It was very amusing. I wish you could have seen her new diary entries… far more interesting, they became… Dear Tom," he recited, watching Harry's horrified face, "'I think I'm losing my memory. There are rooster feathers all over my robes and I don't know how they got there. Dear Tom, I can't remember what I did on the night of Halloween, but a cat was attacked and I've got paint all down my front. Dear Tom, Percy keeps telling me I'm pale and I'm not myself. I think he suspects me… There was another attack today and I don't know where I was. Tom, what am I going to do? I think I'm going mad… I think I'm the one attacking everyone, Tom!'" **

"She's a little girl, you wretched bastard." James snaps, not liking the fact that Voldemort would possess a young female, even if he didn't like said female.

**Harry's fists were clenched, the nails digging deep into his palms. **

"**It took a very long time for stupid little Ginny to stop trusting her diary," said Riddle. "But she finally became suspicious and tried to dispose of it. And that's where you came in, Harry. You found it, and I couldn't have been more delighted. Of all the people who could have picked it up, it was you, the very person I was most anxious to meet…" **

"That is a horrible fate, Harry." Luna mentions, while many stare at her, forgetting she was there and surprised she didn't mention some fake animal during the sentence.

"**And why did you want to meet me?" said Harry. Anger was coursing through him, and it was an effort to keep his voice steady. **

"**Well, you see, Ginny told me all about you, Harry," said Riddle. "Your whole fascinating history." His eyes roved over the lightning scar on Harry's forehead, and their expression grew hungrier. "I knew I must find out more about you, talk to you, meet you if I could. So I decided to show you my famous capture of that great oaf, Hagrid, to gain your trust —" **

"You –"

"Hermione, it's alright." Harry interrupts his friend, holding her hand and pulling her to him, causing her to smile calmly. James and Lily look at one another before smiling, glad that Harry's found someone to be there for him.

"**Hagrid's my friend," said Harry, his voice now shaking. "And you framed him, didn't you? I thought you made a mistake, but —" Riddle laughed his high laugh again. **

"**It was my word against Hagrid's, Harry. Well, you can imagine how it looked to old Armando Dippet. On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so brave, school prefect, model student… on the other hand, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed, sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls… but I admit, even I was surprised how well the plan worked. I thought someone must realize that Hagrid couldn't possibly be the Heir of Slytherin. It had taken me five whole years to find out everything I could about the Chamber of Secrets and discover the secret entrance… as though Hagrid had the brains, or the power!"**

"OY!" Many fans of Hagrid shouted, unimpressed with the books description of Hagrid's intelligence, while Hagrid blushed.

"**Only the Transfiguration teacher, Dumbledore—"**

"Professor, where were you?" A third year Gryffindor asks Minerva, turning to her, surprised to see her lips into a thin line.

"A student at the time," She replies, while many widen their eyes.

"**- seemed to think Hagrid was innocent. He persuaded Dippet to keep Hagrid and train him as gamekeeper. Yes, I think Dumbledore might have guessed… Dumbledore never seemed to like me as much as the other teachers did…" **

"He probably saw right through you!" Someone shouts.

"**I bet Dumbledore saw right through you," said Harry, his teeth gritted. **

"**Well, he certainly kept an annoyingly close watch on me after Hagrid was expelled," said Riddle carelessly. "I knew it wouldn't be safe to open the Chamber again while I was still at school. But I wasn't going to waste those long years I'd spent searching for it. I decided to leave behind a diary, preserving my sixteen-year-old self in its pages, so that one day, with luck, I would be able to lead another in my footsteps, and finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work." **

"The first one." James mutters feeling sick, while Lily looks on in confusion.

"**Well, you haven't finished it," said Harry triumphantly. "No one's died this time, not even the cat. In a few hours the Mandrake Draught will be ready and everyone who was Petrified will be all right again —" **

"**Haven't I already told you," said Riddle quietly, "that killing Mudbloods doesn't matter to me anymore? For many months now, my new target has been — you." **

"But why?" Many people shout, while some of the much older students widen their eyes, finally understanding.

**Harry stared at him. **

"**Imagine how angry I was when the next time my diary was opened, it was Ginny who was writing to me, not you. She saw you with the diary, you see, and panicked. What if you found out how to work it, and I repeated all her secrets to you? What if, even worse, I told you who'd been strangling roosters? So the foolish little brat waited until your dormitory was deserted and stole it back. But I knew what I must do. It was clear to me that you were on the trail of Slytherin's heir. From everything Ginny had told me about you, I knew you would go to any lengths to solve the mystery — particularly if one of your best friends was attacked. And Ginny had told me the whole school was buzzing because you could speak Parseltongue… "**

Harry could be heard snarling at the mention of his best friend and Lily notices Ginny flinch and glares slightly.

"**So I made Ginny write her own farewell on the wall and come down here to wait. She struggled and cried and became very boring. But there isn't much life left in her… She put too much into the diary, into me. Enough to let me leave its pages at last… I have been waiting for you to appear since we arrived here. I knew you'd come. I have many questions for you, Harry Potter." **

"LIKE WHAT?" Many people shout on the edge of their seats, having no clue.

"**Like what?" Harry spat, fists still clenched. **

"**Well," said Riddle, smiling pleasantly, "how is it that you — a skinny boy with no extraordinary magical talent —"**

"BUT HE SHOULD!" James and Lily shout, standing up with their fists clenched as Albus flinches and Harry looks on in confusion.

"What?" He asks and his parents look over to him, with Lily biting her lip.

"Harry, when you were younger – you're magic. It was- crikey, it was amazing." James says, running his fingers through his hair.

"But how? I barely do well now as it is." Harry questions, completely confused.

"You were able to transform yourself like a metamorphogus, change into a dog like Sirius—" Many people gasp here, and some look at Harry with pity, making him roll his eyes before they went wide.

"Hell, at one point, you flung Peter across the room when he tried to pick you up." Lily laughs, realizing that maybe her son knew the truth about Peter.

"But then why—"

"We don't know, but we have some clues." James states, glaring at Albus who cringes while Hermione scowls and something gets written down.

"**- managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?" **

"Wait, isn't he before Voldemort's time?" Fred interrupts, confused while George's eyes go wide as he read further down the page.

**There was an odd red gleam in his hungry eyes now. **

"**Why do you care how I escaped?" said Harry slowly. "Voldemort was after your time…" **

"**Voldemort," said Riddle softly, "is my past, present, and future, Harry Potter…" **

Many people looked on in confusion, though the people who thought they knew squirmed around a little bit.

**He pulled Harry's wand from his pocket and began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words: **_**TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE **_

**Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves: **

_**I AM LORD VOLDEMORT **_

Many people gasped while others screamed and covered their eyes, like they expected Voldemort to just show up. Lily had began moaning and whimpering while James tried to comfort her and Snape had paled lightly.

"**You see?" he whispered. "It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts, to my most intimate friends only, of course. You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever? I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side? I, keep the name of a foul, common Muggle, who abandoned me even before I was born, just because he found out his wife was a witch? No, Harry — I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!" **

Many people could be heard snarling at this, some shouting that the wizard would never become the greatest sorcerer in the world, while many others still cowered in fear, though most of them had began sitting normally.

**Harry's brain seemed to have jammed. He stared numbly at Riddle, at the orphaned boy who had grown up to murder Harry's own parents, and so many others… At last he forced himself to speak. **

"**You're not," he said, his quiet voice full of hatred. **

"**Not what?" snapped Riddle. **

"**Not the greatest sorcerer in the world," said Harry, breathing fast. "Sorry to disappoint you and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is Albus Dumbledore."**

Dumbledore grinned with pride while Harry rolled his eyes.

"Wait for it." He states, smirking.

"**Everyone says so. Even when you were strong, you didn't dare try and take over at Hogwarts. Dumbledore saw through you when you were at school and he still frightens you now, wherever you're hiding these days —" **

"He isn't going to like that." James states while Sirius barks.

**The smile had gone from Riddle's face, to be replaced by a very ugly look. **

"**Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!" he hissed. **

"**He's not as gone as you might think!" Harry retorted. He was speaking at random, wanting to scare Riddle, wishing rather than believing it to be true. **

**Riddle opened his mouth, but froze. **

"Why?" Someone questions.

**Music was coming from somewhere. Riddle whirled around to stare down the empty Chamber. The music was growing louder. It was eerie, spine-tingling, unearthly; it lifted the hair on Harry's scalp and made his heart feel as though it was swelling to twice its normal size. Then, as the music reached such a pitch that Harry felt it vibrating inside his own ribs, flames erupted at the top of the nearest pillar. **

"FAWKES!" Lily shouts, clapping in excitement while James grins.

"But why would Dumbledore's phoenix come to Harry?"

"Because he showed loyalty to Dumbledore." Someone else whispered, while James frowned and looked at his wife, who was also frowning.

**A crimson bird the size of a swan had appeared, piping its weird music to the vaulted ceiling. It had a glittering golden tail as long as a peacock's and gleaming golden talons, which were gripping a ragged bundle. A second later, the bird was flying straight at Harry. It dropped the ragged thing it was carrying at his feet, then landed heavily on his shoulder. As it folded its great wings, Harry looked up and saw it had a long, sharp golden beak and a beady black eye. **

**The bird stopped singing. It sat still and warm next to Harry's cheek, gazing steadily at Riddle. **

"**That's a phoenix." said Riddle, staring shrewdly back at it. **

"**Fawkes?" Harry breathed, and he felt the bird's golden claws squeeze his shoulder gently. **

"**And that —" said Riddle, now eyeing the ragged thing that Fawkes had dropped, "that's the old school Sorting Hat —" So it was. Patched, frayed, and dirty, the hat lay motionless at Harry's feet. **

**Riddle began to laugh again. He laughed so hard that the dark chamber rang with it, as though ten Riddles were laughing at once. **

"**This is what Dumbledore sends his defender! A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave, Harry Potter? Do you feel safe now?" **

"No, not Dumbledore." James states.

"The school. Because y'know, Harry is an ancestor from all four members." Lily finishes while Harry looks on in shock.

"Snuffles, I think I have a lot to learn about my life." He interrupts, causing many to laugh, some in surprise, and Sirius to bark and his parents to glare at Albus again.

**Harry didn't answer. He might not see what use Fawkes or the Sorting Hat were, but he was no longer alone, and he waited for Riddle to stop laughing with his courage mounting. **

"**To business, Harry," said Riddle, still smiling broadly. "Twice — in your past, in my future — we have met. And twice I failed to kill you. How did you survive? Tell me everything. The longer you talk," he added softly, "the longer you stay alive." **

"Don't you dare hurt my baby!" Lily moans, shaking a little bit more.

**Harry was thinking fast, weighing his chances. Riddle had the wand. He, Harry, had Fawkes and the Sorting Hat, neither of which would be much good in a duel. It looked bad, all right… but the longer Riddle stood there, the more life was dwindling out of Ginny… and in the meantime, Harry noticed suddenly, Riddle's outline was becoming clearer, more solid… If it had to be a fight between him and Riddle, better sooner than later. **

"You know Potter, you sure do make some good observations." Mad-Eye states, his eye looking around the hall.

"**No one knows why you lost your powers when you attacked me," said Harry abruptly. "I don't know myself. But I know why you couldn't kill me. Because my mother died to save me. My common Muggle-born mother," he added, shaking with suppressed rage. "She stopped you killing me. And I've seen the real you, I saw you last year. You're a wreck. You're barely alive. That's where all your power got you. You're in hiding. You're ugly, you're foul —" **

James burst out laughing, his head thrown back and many people stared at him in confusion. "You're brilliant, son." He manages to get out, still laughing.

**Riddle's face contorted. Then he forced it into an awful smile. "So. Your mother died to save you. Yes, that's a powerful countercharm. I can see now… there is nothing special about you, after all. I wondered, you see. There are strange likenesses between us, after all. Even you must have noticed. Both half-bloods, orphans, raised by Muggles. Probably the only two **

**Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin himself. We even look something alike…"**

Lily could be heard snarling as James manages to seethe, "My son is nothing like you, Voldeywart."

"**- but after all, it was merely a lucky chance that saved you from me. That's all I wanted to know." Harry stood, tense, waiting for Riddle to raise his wand. But Riddle's twisted smile was widening again. **

"**Now, Harry, I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give him…" **

**He cast an amused eye over Fawkes and the Sorting Hat, then walked away. Harry, fear spreading up his numb legs, watched Riddle stop between the high pillars and look up into the stone face of Slytherin, high above him in the half-darkness. Riddle opened his mouth wide and hissed — but Harry understood what he was saying… **

"**Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four." **

"Oh, no." Lily groaned.

**Harry wheeled around to look up at the statue, Fawkes swaying on his shoulder. Slytherin's gigantic stone face was moving. Horrorstruck, Harry saw his mouth opening, wider and wider, to make a huge black hole. **

"This doesn't sound good," Charlie mutters, feeling sick while Bill nods his head.

**And something was stirring inside the statue's mouth. Something was slithering up from its depths. **

"Oh dear Merlin." Someone else states.

**Harry backed away until he hit the dark Chamber wall, and as he shut his eyes tight he felt Fawkes' wing sweep his cheek as he took flight. Harry wanted to shout, "Don't leave me!" but what chance did a phoenix have against the king of serpents? **

**Something huge hit the stone floor of the Chamber. Harry felt it shudder — he knew what was happening, he could sense it, could almost see the giant serpent uncoiling itself from Slytherin's mouth. Then he heard Riddle's hissing voice: **

"**Kill him." **

"NO!" Lily shouts, and it takes a few minutes for James to truly calm her down enough for her to realize that her son is perfectly fine, sitting right in front of her. At the same time though, Harry has to hold back Sirius, who had tensed up and started snarling at the book, growling and angry.

"Snuffles, I'm fine." Harry finally shouts, pushing Sirius down, trying to calm him down.

**The basilisk was moving toward Harry; he could hear its heavy body slithering heavily across the dusty floor. Eyes still tightly shut, Harry began to run blindly sideways, his hands outstretched, feeling his way — Voldemort was laughing. **

**Harry tripped. He fell hard onto the stone and tasted blood the serpent was barely feet from him, he could hear it coming. **

**There was a loud, explosive spitting sound right above him, and then something heavy hit Harry so hard that he was smashed into the wall. Waiting for fangs to sink through his body he heard more mad hissing, something thrashing wildly off the pillars. **

"What's going on?" Someone shouts, clenching the edge of their seats, worried about what was going to happen.

**He couldn't help it — he opened his eyes wide enough to squint at what was going on. **

**The enormous serpent, bright, poisonous green, thick as an oak trunk, had raised itself high in the air and its great blunt head was weaving drunkenly between the pillars. As Harry trembled, ready to close his eyes if it turned, he saw what had distracted the snake. **

"Must've been Fawkes." James mumbles.

**Fawkes was soaring around its head, and the basilisk was snapping furiously at him with fangs long and thin as sabers Fawkes dived. His long golden beak sank out of sight and a sudden shower of dark blood spattered the floor. The snake's tail thrashed, narrowly missing Harry, and before Harry could shut his eyes, it turned — Harry looked straight into its face and saw that its eyes, both its great, bulbous yellow eyes, had been punctured by the phoenix; blood was streaming to the floor, and the snake was spitting in agony. **

"Oh, Fawkes blinded it. Clever phoenix." James laughs, clapping.

"**NO!" Harry heard Riddle screaming. "LEAVE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU. YOU CAN STILL SMELL HIM. KILL HIM!" **

**The blinded serpent swayed, confused, still deadly. Fawkes was circling its head, piping his eerie song, jabbing here and there at its scaly nose as the blood poured from its ruined eyes. **

"**Help me, help me," Harry muttered wildly, "someone — anyone…" **

**The snake's tail whipped across the floor again. Harry ducked. Something soft hit his face. **

**The basilisk had swept the Sorting Hat into Harry's arms. Harry seized it. It was all he had left, his only chance — he rammed it onto his head and threw himself flat onto the floor as the basilisk's tail swung over him again. **

_**Help me — help me — **_**Harry thought, his eyes screwed tight under the hat. **_**Please help me**_**. **

"Oh Harry, that's brilliant!" Lily shouts, clapping, while many people look on in confusion.

"What could begging for help do for Potter?" Malfoy states.

"He's holding the hat, of course." James laughs, before continuing, "Snape, teach your godson something would you?" Making many others laugh.

**There was no answering voice. Instead, the hat contracted, as though an invisible hand was squeezing it very tightly. **

**Something very hard and heavy thudded onto the top of Harry's head, almost knocking him out. Stars winking in front of his eyes, he grabbed the top of the hat to pull it off and felt something long and hard beneath it. **

**A gleaming silver sword had appeared inside the hat, its handle glittering with rubies the size of eggs. **

"YES YES YES!" Lily shouts, jumping up and down in her excitement. "The sword, he has the sword!" She finishes.

"**KILL THE BOY! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU. SNIFF — SMELL HIM." **

**Harry was on his feet, ready. The basilisk's head was falling, its body coiling around, hitting pillars as it twisted to face him. He could see the vast, bloody eye sockets, see the mouth stretching wide, wide enough to swallow him whole, lined with fangs long as his sword, thin, glittering, venomous — **

**It lunged blindly — Harry dodged and it hit the Chamber wall. It lunged again, and its forked tongue lashed Harry's side. He raised the sword in both his hands — The basilisk lunged again, and this time its aim was true — Harry threw his whole weight behind the sword and drove it to the hilt into the roof of the serpent's mouth — **

"Whoo hoo!" James shouted, clapping in his own excitement."

**But as warm blood drenched Harry's arms, he felt a searing pain just above his elbow.**

"What, why?" Both James and Lily shouted, no longer excited, but worried, and Harry was suddenly mauled by Sirius, who had seemed to be checking Harry for anything that could harm him, giving him licks once he approved.

**One long, poisonous fang was sinking deeper and deeper into his arm and it splintered as the basilisk keeled over sideways and fell, twitching, to the floor. **

"Oh god," Lily moaned, shaking once more and James had to wrap her in his arms, while looking over Harry himself, ignoring Sirius doing the same thing.

**Harry slid down the wall. He gripped the fang that was spreading poison through his body and wrenched it out of his arm. But he knew it was too late. White-hot pain was spreading slowly and steadily from the wound. Even as he dropped the fang and watched his own blood soaking his robes, his vision went foggy. The Chamber was dissolving in a whirl of dull color. A patch of scarlet swam past, and Harry heard a soft clatter of claws beside him. **

"**Fawkes," said Harry thickly. "You were fantastic, Fawkes…" **

**He felt the bird lay its beautiful head on the spot where the serpent's fang had pierced him. **

**He could hear echoing footsteps and then a dark shadow moved in front of him. **

"**You're dead, Harry Potter," said Riddle's voice above him. "Dead. Even Dumbledore's bird knows it. Do you see what he's doing, Potter? He's crying." **

"He's crying. James, the phoenix is crying!' Lily shouts, suddenly happy and clapping while James smiles and many people look on in confusion, having forgotten about what phoenix's do.

**Harry blinked. Fawkes' head slid in and out of focus. Thick, pearly tears were trickling down the glossy feathers. **

"**I'm going to sit here and watch you die, Harry Potter. Take your time. I'm in no hurry." **

**Harry felt drowsy. Everything around him seemed to be spinning. **

"**So ends the famous Harry Potter," said Riddle's distant voice. "Alone in the Chamber of Secrets, forsaken by his friends, defeated at last by the Dark Lord he so unwisely challenged. You'll be back with your dear Mudblood mother soon, Harry… She bought you twelve years of borrowed time… but Lord Voldemort got you in the end, as you knew he must…" **

**If this is dying, thought Harry, it's not so bad. Even the pain was leaving him… **

**But was this dying? Instead of going black, the Chamber seemed to be coming back into focus. Harry gave his head a little shake and there was Fawkes, still resting his head on Harry's arm. A pearly patch of tears was shining all around the wound — except that there was no wound. **

"**Get away, bird," said Riddle's voice suddenly. "Get away from him — I said, get away —" **

**Harry raised his head. Riddle was pointing Harry's wand at Fawkes; there was a bang like a gun, and Fawkes took flight again in a whirl of gold and scarlet.  
**

"**Phoenix tears…" said Riddle quietly, staring at Harry's arm. "Of course… healing powers… I forgot…" **

"Obviously." James snorts.

**He looked into Harry's face. "But it makes no difference. In fact, I prefer it this way. Just you and me, Harry Potter… you and me…" He raised the wand… **

**Then, in a rush of wings, Fawkes had soared back overhead and something fell into Harry's lap — the diary. **

"What's he suppose to do with that?" Someone questions as James glares lightly.

**For a split second, both Harry and Riddle, wand still raised, stared at it. Then, without thinking, without considering, as though he had meant to do it all along, Harry seized the basilisk fang on the floor next to him and plunged it straight into the heart of the book. **

"Definitely good instincts you've got there, Potter." Mad-Eye states as Lily's eyes widen, finally understanding what James had been going on about earlier in the chapter.

"He hasn't." She whispers and James can only nod his head before looking at Snape and Albus, who were both making a point of not looking at either of them.

"Afraid so, Lily-flower."

**There was a long, dreadful, piercing scream. Ink spurted out of the diary in torrents, streaming over Harry's hands, flooding the floor. Riddle was writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing and then — **

**He had gone. Harry's wand fell to the floor with a clatter and there was silence. Silence except for the steady drip drip of ink still oozing from the diary. The basilisk venom had burned a sizzling hole right through it. **

**Shaking all over, Harry pulled himself up. His head was spinning as though he'd just traveled miles by Floo powder. Slowly, he gathered together his wand and the Sorting Hat, and, with a huge tug, retrieved the glittering sword from the roof of the basilisk's mouth. **

**Then came a faint moan from the end of the Chamber. Ginny was stirring. As Harry hurried toward her, she sat up. Her bemused eyes traveled from the huge form of the dead basilisk, over Harry, in his blood-soaked robes, then to the diary in his hand. She drew a great, shuddering gasp and tears began to pour down her face. **

"**Harry — oh, Harry — I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c-couldn't say it in front of Percy — it was me, Harry — but I — I s-swear I d-didn't mean to — R-Riddle made me, he t-took me over — and — how did you kill that — that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I r-remember is him coming out of the diary —" **

" **It's all right," said Harry, holding up the diary, and showing Ginny the fang hole, "Riddle's finished. Look! Him and the basilisk. C'mon, Ginny, let's get out of here —" **

"**I'm going to be expelled!" Ginny wept as Harry helped her awkwardly to her feet. "I've looked forward to coming to Hogwarts ever since B-Bill came and n-now I'll have to leave and — w-what'll Mum and Dad say?" **

"Now that I can do this now, and couldn't then," Harry stated, rolling his eyes while many people laughed and Ginny blushed.

"Did that feel good, Harry?" Hermione giggles and Harry laughs.

"Sorry, Ginny, but you gotta admit, it was annoying."

**Fawkes was waiting for them, hovering in the Chamber entrance. Harry urged Ginny forward; they stepped over the motionless coils of the dead basilisk, through the echoing gloom, and back into the tunnel. Harry heard the stone doors close behind them with a soft hiss. **

"If you want Snape, I can show open the Chamber for you and you can go get your basilisk fangs." Harry states, while Snape looks on in surprise and James and Lily beam down at their son in pride.

**After a few minutes' progress up the dark tunnel, a distant sound of slowly shifting rock reached Harry's ears. **

"**Ron!" Harry yelled, speeding up. "Ginny's okay! I've got her!" **

**He heard Ron give a strangled cheer, and they turned the next bend to see his eager face staring through the sizable gap he had managed to make in the rock fall. **

"**Ginny!" Ron thrust an arm through the gap in the rock to pull her through first. "You're alive! I don't believe it! What happened? How — what — where did that bird come from?" **

**Fawkes had swooped through the gap after Ginny. **

"**He's Dumbledore's," said Harry, squeezing through himself. **

"**How come you've got a sword?" said Ron, gaping at the glittering weapon in Harry's hand. **

"Admittedly, I was kind of jealous." Ron grimaces, looking apologetic towards Harry, who shrugs, uncaring.

"**I'll explain when we get out of here," said Harry with a sideways glance at Ginny, who was crying harder than ever. **

"**But —" **

"**Later," Harry said shortly. He didn't think it was a good idea to tell Ron yet who'd been opening the Chamber, not in front of Ginny, anyway. "Where's Lockhart?" **

"Thanks Harry," Ginny mumbles, her eyes widening while Harry nods his head quickly, making Molly beam and go on about dresses, louder than she meant to.

"**Back there," said Ron, still looking puzzled but jerking his head up the tunnel toward the pipe. "He's in a bad way. Come and see." Led by Fawkes, whose wide scarlet wings emitted a soft golden glow in the darkness, they walked all the way back to the mouth of the pipe. Gilderoy Lockhart was sitting there, humming placidly to himself. **

"**His memory's gone," said Ron. "The Memory Charm backfired. Hit him instead of us. Hasn't got a clue who he is, or where he is, or who we are. I told him to come and wait here. He's a danger to himself." **

Many people snorted.

**Lockhart peered good-naturedly up at them all. **

"**Hello," he said. "Odd sort of place, this, isn't it? Do you live here?" **

"**No," said Ron, raising his eyebrows at Harry. Harry bent down and looked up the long, dark pipe. **

"**Have you thought how we're going to get back up this?" he said to Ron. **

**Ron shook his head, but Fawkes the phoenix had swooped past Harry and was now fluttering in front of him, his beady eyes bright in the dark. He was waving his long golden tail feathers. Harry looked uncertainly at him. **

"**He looks like he wants you to grab hold…" said Ron, looking perplexed. "But you're much too heavy for a bird to pull up there —" **

"**Fawkes," said Harry, "isn't an ordinary bird." He turned quickly to the others. "We've got to hold on to each other. Ginny, grab Ron's hand. Professor Lockhart —" **

"**He means you," said Ron sharply to Lockhart. **

"**You hold Ginny's other hand —" **

**Harry tucked the sword and the Sorting Hat into his belt, Ron took hold of the back of Harry's robes, and Harry reached out and took hold of Fawkes's strangely hot tail feathers. **

**An extraordinary lightness seemed to spread through his whole body and the next second, in a rush of wings, they were flying upward through the pipe. Harry could hear Lockhart dangling below him, saying, "Amazing! Amazing! This is just like magic!" The chill air was whipping through Harry's hair, and before he'd stopped enjoying the ride, it was over — all four of them were hitting the wet floor of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and as Lockhart straightened his hat, the sink that hid the pipe was sliding back into place. **

**Myrtle goggled at them. **

James snorted, "She probably didn't expect you to come back out alive."

"**You're alive," she said blankly to Harry. **

"Thought so," He singsongs.

"**There's no need to sound so disappointed," he said grimly, wiping flecks of blood and slime off his glasses. **

"**Oh, well… I'd just been thinking… if you had died, you'd have been welcome to share my toilet," said Myrtle, blushing silver. **

"OH. MY. GOD." James bursts out laughing, thankful he hadn't drank out of his goblet yet, floating in mid-air, going towards him.

"**Urgh!" said Ron as they left the bathroom for the dark, deserted corridor outside. "Harry! I think Myrtle's grown fond of you! You've got competition, Ginny!" **

Ginny blushed at this, looking down.

**But tears were still flooding silently down Ginny's face. **

"**Where now?" said Ron, with an anxious look at Ginny. Harry pointed. **

**Fawkes was leading the way, glowing gold along the corridor. They strode after him, and moments later, found themselves outside Professor McGonagall's office. **

**Harry knocked and pushed the door open.**

George closed the book, snapping it shut, watching as it floats to Lucius, who looks at it disdainfully before grabbing it. Many people remained silent for a few minutes, trying to digest everything they had read, before Lucius opened the book and started reading from it, growing pale.


	38. Chapter 38

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN, Dobby's Reward **

**For a moment there was silence as Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lockhart stood in the doorway, covered in muck and slime and (in Harry's case) blood. Then there was a scream. **

"Man, I loathe that scream." Ron flinched.

"**Ginny!" It was Mrs. Weasley, who had been sitting crying in front of the fire. She leapt to her feet, closely followed by Mr. Weasley, and both of them flung themselves on their daughter. **

**Harry, however, was looking past them. Professor Dumbledore was standing by the mantelpiece, beaming, next to Professor McGonagall, who was taking great, steadying gasps, clutching her chest. **

"Why in the name of Merlin is he beaming?" James growls, unimpressed.

"Probably wanted to test Harry," Lily mutters back, angrily.

**Fawkes went whooshing past Harry's ear and settled on Dumbledore's shoulder, just as Harry found himself and Ron being swept into Mrs. Weasley's tight embrace. **

"**You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?" **

"**I think we'd all like to know that," said Professor McGonagall weakly. **

**Mrs. Weasley let go of Harry, who hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the desk and laid upon it the Sorting Hat, the ruby-encrusted sword, and what remained of Riddle's diary. **

**Then he started telling them everything. For nearly a quarter of an hour he spoke into the rapt silence: He told them about hearing the disembodied voice, how Hermione had finally realized that he was hearing a basilisk in the pipes; how he and Ron had followed the spiders into the forest, that Aragog had told them where the last victim of the basilisk had died; how he had guessed that Moaning Myrtle had been the victim, and that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets might be in her bathroom… **

"**Very well," Professor McGonagall prompted him as he paused, "so you found out where the entrance was — breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way, I might add — but how on earth did you all get out of there alive, Potter?" **

"He's a Potter through and through," James sniffles proudly, while Lily laughs at him.

**So Harry, his voice now growing hoarse from all this talking, told them about Fawkes's timely arrival and about the Sorting Hat giving him the sword. But then he faltered. He had so far avoided mentioning Riddle's diary — or Ginny. She was standing with her head against Mrs. Weasley's shoulder, and tears were still coursing silently down her cheeks. What if they expelled her? Harry thought in panic. Riddle's diary didn't work anymore… How could they prove it had been he who'd made her do it all? **

**Instinctively, Harry looked at Dumbledore, who smiled faintly, the firelight glancing off his half-moon spectacles. **

"**What interests me most," said Dumbledore gently, "is how Lord Voldemort managed to enchant Ginny, when my sources tell me he is currently in hiding in the forests of Albania." **

**Relief — warm, sweeping, glorious relief – swept over Harry. "W-what's that?" said Mr. Weasley in a stunned voice. "You-Know-Who? En-enchant Ginny? But Ginny's not… Ginny hasn't been… has she?" **

"**It was this diary," said Harry quickly, picking it up and showing it to Dumbledore. "Riddle wrote it when he was sixteen…" **

**Dumbledore took the diary from Harry and peered keenly down his long, crooked nose at its burnt and soggy pages. **

"**Brilliant," he said softly. "Of course, he was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen." He turned around to the Weasleys, who were looking utterly bewildered. **

"**Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving the school… traveled far and wide… sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognizable. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here." **

"**But, Ginny," said Mrs. Weasley. "What's our Ginny got to do with — with — him?" **

"**His d-diary" Ginny sobbed. "I've b-been writing in it, and he's been w-writing back all year —" **

"**Ginny!" said Mr. Weasley, flabbergasted. "Haven't I taught you anything. What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain? Why didn't you show the diary to me, or your mother? A suspicious object like that, it was clearly full of Dark Magic!' **

"I love how Mrs. Weasley isn't exactly scolding her daughter." James mumbles, watching the other mother carefully.

"**I d-didn't know," sobbed Ginny. "I found it inside one of the books Mum got me. I th-thought someone had just left it in there and forgotten about it —" **

James squints at the book then, before looking at Malfoy, who had grown even more pale than before.

"**Miss Weasley should go up to the hospital wing right away," Dumbledore interrupted in a firm voice. "This has been a terrible ordeal for her. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser wizards than she have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort." He strode over to the door and opened it. "Bed rest and perhaps a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up," he added, twinkling kindly down at her. "You will find that Madam Pomfrey is still awake. She's just giving out Mandrake juice — I daresay the basilisk's victims will be waking up any moment." **

"**So Hermione's okay!" said Ron brightly. **

"**There has been no lasting harm done, Ginny," said Dumbledore. Mrs. Weasley led Ginny out, and Mr. Weasley followed, still looking deeply shaken. **

"**You know, Minerva," Professor Dumbledore said thoughtfully to Professor McGonagall, "I think all this merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go and alert the kitchens?" **

"**Right," said Professor McGonagall crisply, also moving to the door. "I'll leave you to deal with Potter and Weasley, shall I?" **

"**Certainly," said Dumbledore. **

**She left, and Harry and Ron gazed uncertainly at Dumbledore. What exactly had Professor McGonagall meant, deal with them? Surely — surely — they weren't about to be punished? **

"**I seem to remember telling you both that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules," said Dumbledore. Ron opened his mouth in horror. **

As did Lily, before she noticed James rolling his eyes at Albus' scare tactic.

"**Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words," Dumbledore went on, smiling. "You will both receive Special Awards for Services to the School and — let me see — yes, I think two hundred points apiece for Gryffindor." **

**Ron went as brightly pink as Lockhart's valentine flowers and closed his mouth again. **

"**But one of us seems to be keeping mightily quiet about his part in this dangerous adventure," Dumbledore added. "Why so modest, Gilderoy?" **

**Harry gave a start. He had completely forgotten about Lockhart. He turned and saw that Lockhart was standing in a corner of the room, still wearing his vague smile. When Dumbledore addressed him, Lockhart looked over his shoulder to see who he was talking to. **

"**Professor Dumbledore," Ron said quickly, "there was an accident down in the Chamber of Secrets. Professor Lockhart —" **

"**Am I a professor?" said Lockhart in mild surprise. "Goodness. I expect I was hopeless, was I?" **

"**He tried to do a Memory Charm and the wand backfired," Ron explained quietly to Dumbledore. **

"**Dear me," said Dumbledore, shaking his head, his long silver mustache quivering. "Impaled upon your own sword, Gilderoy!" **

"**Sword?" said Lockhart dimly. "Haven't got a sword. That boy has, though." He pointed at Harry. "He'll lend you one." **

Everyone laughed, while Fred began muttering, "He's kind of funny, with no memory of who he is."

"**Would you mind taking Professor Lockhart up to the infirmary, too?" Dumbledore said to Ron. "I'd like a few more words with Harry…" **

**Lockhart ambled out. Ron cast a curious look back at Dumbledore and Harry as he closed the door. **

**Dumbledore crossed to one of the chairs by the fire. "Sit down, Harry," he said, and Harry sat, feeling unaccountably nervous. **

"**First of all, Harry, I want to thank you," said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling again. "You must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you." **

"Or, you know, being an apparent heir to all the houses of the school," Hermione mutters angrily, tapping her quill to match her mood.

**He stroked the phoenix, which had fluttered down onto his knee. Harry grinned awkwardly as Dumbledore watched him. **

"**And so you met Tom Riddle," said Dumbledore thoughtfully. "I imagine he was most interested in you…" Suddenly, something that was nagging at Harry came tumbling out of his mouth. **

"**Professor Dumbledore… Riddle said I'm like him. Strange likenesses, he said…" **

"You're nothing like him, Harry." Hermione interrupts before Lily could, causing her to smile and look at the two of them in happiness before kissing James quickly, who squeezed her hand.

"**Did he, now?" said Dumbledore, looking thoughtfully at Harry from under his thick silver eyebrows. "And what do you think, Harry?"**

"**I don't think I'm like him!" said Harry, more loudly than he'd intended. "I mean, I'm — I'm in Gryffindor, I'm…" But he fell silent, a lurking doubt resurfacing in his mind. **

"Harry," James groans, shaking his head a little, "You would've done well, and stayed who you are, in any house you went into."

"**Professor," he started again after a moment. "The Sorting Hat told me I'd — I'd have done well in Slytherin. Everyone thought I was Slytherin's heir for a while… because I can speak Parseltongue…" **

"**You can speak Parseltongue, Harry," said Dumbledore calmly, "because Lord Voldemort — who is the last remaining ancestor of Salazar Slytherin — can speak Parseltongue. Unless I'm much mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to you the night he gave you that scar. Not something he intended to do, I'm sure…" **

"I think someone's lying right there," Remus mutters angrily as he watches Albus blanche.

"**Voldemort put a bit of himself in me?" Harry said, thunderstruck. **

"**It certainly seems so." **

"**So I should be in Slytherin," Harry said, looking desperately into Dumbledore's face. "The Sorting Hat could see Slytherin's power in me, and it —" **

"It put you into Gryffindor." James stated, "And because you asked, because a Slytherin would not have asked." Sirius barks at this.

"And I know for a fact, that Sirius had asked the same thing as you, Harry." Remus whispers, making Sirius wag his tail and Harry smile down.

"**Put you in Gryffindor," said Dumbledore calmly. "Listen to me, Harry. You happen to have many qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his hand-picked students. His own very rare gift, Parseltongue — resourcefulness — determination — a certain disregard for rules," he added, his mustache quivering again. "Yet the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor. You know why that was. Think." **

"**It only put me in Gryffindor," said Harry in a defeated voice, "because I asked not to go in Slytherin…" **

"**Exactly, "said Dumbledore, beaming once more. "Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." Harry sat motionless in his chair, stunned. "If you want proof, Harry, that you belong in Gryffindor, I suggest you look more closely at this." **

**Dumbledore reached across to Professor McGonagall's desk, picked up the blood-stained silver sword, and handed it to Harry. Dully, Harry turned it over, the rubies blazing in the firelight. And then he saw the name engraved just below the hilt. **

_**Godric Gryffindor **_

"**Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat, Harry," said Dumbledore simply. **

"Cool!" Many people gasped, impressed.

**For a minute, neither of them spoke. Then Dumbledore pulled open one of the drawers in Professor McGonagall's desk and took out a quill and a bottle of ink. **

"**What you need, Harry, is some food and sleep. I suggest you go down to the feast, while I write to Azkaban —we need our gamekeeper back. And I must draft an advertisement for the Daily Prophet, too," he added Thoughtfully. "We'll be needing a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher… Dear me, we do seem to run through them, don't we?" **

**Harry got up and crossed to the door. He had just reached for the handle, however, when the door burst open so violently that it bounced back off the wall. **

"Now what?" Many people groaned.

**Lucius Malfoy stood there, fury in his face. And cowering behind his legs, heavily wrapped in bandages, was Dobby. **

"Why am I not surprised?" James sighed, rolling his eyes.

"**Good evening, Lucius," said Dumbledore pleasantly. **

**Mr. Malfoy almost knocked Harry over as he swept into the room. Dobby went scurrying in after him, crouching at the hem of his cloak, a look of abject terror on his face. The elf was carrying a stained rag with which he was attempting to finish cleaning Mr. Malfoys shoes. Apparently Mr. Malfoy had set out in a great hurry, for not only were his shoes half-polished, but his usually sleek hair was disheveled. Ignoring the elf bobbing apologetically around his ankles, he fixed his cold eyes upon Dumbledore. **

"**So!" he said "You've come back. The governors suspended you, but you still saw fit to return to Hogwarts." **

"**Well, you see, Lucius," said Dumbledore, smiling serenely, "the other eleven governors contacted me today. It was something like being caught in a hailstorm of owls, to tell the truth. They'd heard that Arthur Weasleys daughter had been killed and wanted me back here at once. They seemed to think I was the best man for the job after all. Very strange tales they told me, too… Several of them seemed to think that you had threatened to curse their families if they didn't agree to suspend me in the first place." **

Many people laughed while Amelia glared at Lucius, who had become paler than many people would have thought possible.

**Mr. Malfoy went even paler than usual, but his eyes were still slits of fury. **

"The book tells the truth right there," Remus snorts.

"**So — have you stopped the attacks yet?" he sneered. "Have you caught the culprit?" **

"**We have," said Dumbledore, with a smile. **

"**Well?" said Mr. Malfoy sharply. "Who is it?" **

"**The same person as last time, Lucius," said Dumbledore. "But this time, Lord Voldemort was acting through somebody else. By means of this diary." He held up the small black book with the large hole through the center, watching Mr. Malfoy closely. Harry, however, was watching Dobby. **

**The elf was doing something very odd. His great eyes fixed meaningfully on Harry, he kept pointing at the diary, then at Mr. Malfoy, and then hitting himself hard on the head with his fist. **

James snorted, shaking his head and trying not to laugh.

"**I see…" said Mr. Malfoy slowly to Dumbledore. **

"**A clever plan," said Dumbledore in a level voice, still staring Mr. Malfoy straight in the eye. "Because if Harry here —" Mr. Malfoy shot Harry a swift, sharp look "and his friend Ron hadn't discovered this book, why — Ginny Weasley might have taken all the blame. No one would ever have been able to prove she hadn't acted of her own free will…"**

**Mr. Malfoy said nothing. His face was suddenly masklike. **

"I see," Amelia stated, glaring at Lucius who cowered slightly, hoping these books stated the truth about whether or not Malfoy was a death eater, and soon.

"**And imagine," Dumbledore went on, "what might have happened then… The Weasleys are one of our most prominent pure-blood families. Imagine the effect on Arthur Weasley and his Muggle Protection Act, if his own daughter was discovered attacking and — killing Muggle-borns… Very fortunate the diary was discovered, and Riddle's memories wiped from it. Who knows what the consequences might have been otherwise…" **

"He wanted that to happen!" Lily snarled, suddenly angry.

**Mr. Malfoy forced himself to speak. "Very fortunate," he said stiffly. And still, behind his back, Dobby was pointing, first to the diary, then to Lucius Malfoy, then punching himself in the head. **

"I don't get it!" Many people shouted, absolutely confused.

**And Harry suddenly understood. He nodded at Dobby, and Dobby backed into a corner, now twisting his ears in punishment. **

"**Don't you want to know how Ginny got hold of that diary, Mr. Malfoy?" said Harry. **

**Lucius Malfoy rounded on him. **

"**How should I know how the stupid little girl got hold of it?" he said. **

"**Because you gave it to her," said Harry. "In Flourish and Blotts. You picked up her old Transfiguration book and slipped the diary inside it, didn't you?" He saw Mr. Malfoy's white hands clench and unclench. **

"**Prove it," he hissed. **

"**Oh, no one will be able to do that," said Dumbledore, smiling at Harry. "Not now that Riddle has vanished from the book. On the other hand, I would advise you, Lucius, not to go giving out any more of Lord Voldemort's old school things. If any more of them find their way into innocent hands, I think Arthur Weasley, for one, will make sure they are traced back to you…" **

**Lucius Malfoy stood for a moment, and Harry distinctly saw his right hand twitch as though he was longing to reach for his wand. Instead, he turned to his house-elf. "We're going, Dobby!" **

**He wrenched open the door and as the elf came hurrying up to him, he kicked him right through it. **

"That's so rude!" Hermione yelled, clenching her fists, wanting to make sure the elf was okay.

**They could hear Dobby squealing with pain all the way along the corridor. Harry stood for a moment, thinking hard. Then it came to him — **

"**Professor Dumbledore," he said hurriedly. "Can I give that diary back to Mr. Malfoy, please?" **

"Harry?" Hermione questioned as Harry smiled slightly.

"**Certainly, Harry," said Dumbledore calmly. "But hurry. The feast, remember…" Harry grabbed the diary and dashed out of the office. He could hear Dobby's squeals of pain receding around the corner. Quickly, wondering if this plan could possibly work, Harry took off one of his shoes, pulled off his slimy, filthy sock, and stuffed the diary into it. Then he ran down the dark corridor. **

"Bloody brilliant, mate." Ron laughed while Hermione squealed and hugged Harry quickly.

**He caught up with them at the top of the stairs. **

"**Mr. Malfoy," he gasped, skidding to a halt, "I've got something for you —" And he forced the smelly sock into Lucius Malfoy's hand. **

"**What the —?" Mr. Malfoy ripped the sock off the diary, threw it aside, then looked furiously from the ruined book to Harry. "You'll meet the same sticky end as your parents one of these days, Harry Potter," he said softly. "They were meddlesome fools, too." **

Lily and James could be heard snarling here, mentioning the lines of 'like father like son', heat through their eyes blazing.

**He turned to go. **

"**Come, Dobby. I said, come." But Dobby didn't move. He was holding up Harry's disgusting, slimy sock, and looking at it as though it were a priceless treasure. **

"**Master has given a sock," said the elf in wonderment. "Master gave it to Dobby." **

"**What's that?" spat Mr. Malfoy. "What did you say?" **

"**Got a sock," said Dobby in disbelief. "Master threw it, and Dobby caught it, and Dobby — Dobby is free." Lucius Malfoy stood frozen, staring at the elf then he lunged at Harry. **

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Lily screams with sparks flying out of her wand while Narcissa glares at her husband, unimpressed and angry.

"**You've lost me my servant, boy!" **

**But Dobby shouted, "You shall not harm Harry Potter!" **

**There was a loud bang, and Mr. Malfoy was thrown backward. He crashed down the stairs, three at a time, landing in a crumpled heap on the landing below. He got up, his face livid, and pulled out his wand, but Dobby raised a long, threatening finger. **

"Atta elf, Dobby!" James shouted, still angry at Lucius for threatening his son.

"**You shall go now," he said fiercely, pointing down at Mr. Malfoy. "You shall not touch Harry Potter. You shall go now." **

**Lucius Malfoy had no choice. With a last, incensed stare at the pair of them, he swung his cloak around him and hurried out of sight. **

"**Harry Potter freed Dobby!" said the elf shrilly, gazing up at Harry, moonlight from the nearest window reflected in his orb-like eyes. "Harry Potter set Dobby free!" **

"**Least I could do, Dobby," said Harry, grinning. "Just promise never to try and save my life again." **

**The elf's ugly brown face split suddenly into a wide, toothy smile. **

"**I've just got one question, Dobby," said Harry as Dobby pulled on Harry's sock with shaking hands. "You told me all this had nothing to do with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, remember? Well —" **

"**It was a clue, sir," said Dobby, his eyes widening, as though this was obvious. "Was giving you a clue. The Dark Lord, before he changed his name, could be freely named, you see?" **

"**Right," said Harry weakly. "Well, I'd better go. There's a feast, and my friend Hermione should be awake by now…" **

**Dobby threw his arms around Harry's middle and hugged him. "Harry Potter is greater by far than Dobby knew!" he sobbed. "Farewell, Harry Potter!" And with a final loud crack, Dobby disappeared. **

**Harry had been to several Hogwarts feasts, but never one quite like this. Everybody was in their pajamas, and the celebration lasted all night. Harry didn't know whether the best bit was Hermione running toward him, screaming "You solved it! You solved it!" or Justin hurrying over from the Hufflepuff table to wring his hand and apologize endlessly for suspecting him, or Hagrid turning up at half past three, cuffing Harry and Ron so hard on the shoulders that they were knocked into their plates of trifle, or his and Ron's four hundred points for Gryffindor securing the House Cup for the second year running, or Professor McGonagall standing up to tell them all that the exams had been canceled as a school treat ("Oh, no!" said Hermione), or Dumbledore announcing that, unfortunately, Professor Lockhart would be unable to return next year, owing to the fact that he needed to go away and get his memory back. Quite a few of the teachers joined in the cheering that greeted this news. **

"What a night!" The twins stated, smiles on their faces.

"**Shame," said Ron, helping himself to a jam doughnut. "He has starting to grow on me." **

**The rest of the final term passed in a haze of blazing sunshine. Hogwarts was back to normal with only a few, small differences — Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were canceled ("but we've had plenty of practice at that anyway," Ron told a disgruntled Hermione) and Lucius Malfoy had been sacked as a school governor. Draco was no longer strutting around the school as though he owned the place. On the contrary, he looked resentful and sulky. On the other hand, Ginny Weasley was perfectly happy again. **

**Too soon, it was time for the journey home on the Hogwarts Express. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny got a compartment to themselves. They made the most of the last few hours in which they were allowed to do magic before the holidays. They played Exploding Snap, set off the very last of Fred and George's Filibuster fireworks, and practiced disarming each other by magic. Harry was getting very good at it. They were almost at King's Cross when Harry remembered something. **

"**Ginny – what did you see Percy doing, that he didn't want you to tell anyone?" **

"**Oh, that," said Ginny, giggling. "Well — Percy's got a girlfriend." Fred dropped a stack of books on George's head. "What?" **

James laughed, his head thrown back once more in happiness, feeling giddy over everything.

"**It's that Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater," said Ginny. "That's who he was writing to all last summer. He's been meeting her all over the school in secret. I walked in on them kissing in an empty classroom one day. He was so upset when she was — you know — attacked. You won't tease him, will you?" she added anxiously. **

"**Wouldn't dream of it," said Fred, who was looking like his birthday had come early. **

"Why would they do such a thing?" James gasped, looking affronted on their behalf, before laughing some more.

"**Definitely not," said George, sniggering. **

"Liars," Percy glared, causing everyone else to laugh.

**The Hogwarts Express slowed and finally stopped. Harry pulled out his quill and a bit of parchment and turned to Ron and Hermione. **

"**This is called a telephone number," he told Ron, scribbling it twice, tearing the parchment in two, and handing it to them. "I told your dad how to use a telephone last summer — he'll know. Call me at the Dursleys', okay? I can't stand another two months with only Dudley to talk to…" **

Ron cringed, while many people looked confused. "Sorry mate."

"It's cool," Harry laughs.

"**Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward the enchanted barrier. "When they hear what you did this year?" **

"**Proud?" said Harry. "Are you crazy? All those times I could've died, and I didn't manage it? They'll be furious…" **

"And I thought you were joking!" Hermione mutters guiltily.

**And together they walked back through the gateway to the Muggle world.**

Lucius closed the book with a growl, before the book floated away and went into a separate pile, on top of the previous book.

"Well, I think everyone should go to bed for the night, or go for their free time, and we will reconvene tomorrow morning," Albus claps, standing up while everyone else continues talking. Harry, knowing he'll have to give Sirius a warning about the next book, tugs on him lightly before he makes his way to the Room of Requirement, wanting to talk to his godfather.

Within minutes, Sirius and Harry had made it to the room, and Sirius had transformed, as his parents, friends and Remus all came in with them.

"Are you alright?" Sirius started asking, looking around Harry, making sure everything was okay with Harry, while his godson laughed.

"Sirius, I need to warn you!" He gasped, trying to move away from his godfather.

"About what?" Sirius mutters, completely confused, nonplussed, and not really listening.

"The third book. You. My thoughts on you!" Harry manages, though barely as Sirius stops moving.

"I had bad thoughts, Siri. I didn't know the truth." Harry says quietly, while Sirius smiles lightly.

"I'm sure it'll hurt, kiddo. But I'll be alright. Alright?" He asks, and Harry nods, before smiling and hugging his godfather.

* * *

**Authors End Notes: **Don't forget to check out the poll! Thanks for reading, y'all, (and reviewing, if you do so).


	39. Chapter 39

The next morning, Harry woke up on the couch in the room of requirement, with Sirius next to him on his own couch. It took Harry a couple of minutes, but upon remembering the previous night, and the conversation Harry had with his godfather, smiled. They had talked about how the next book was going to be very hard for both of them, because Harry hadn't known the truth about his godfather, and Sirius was about to hear things that could hurt him from Harry's mouth.

In the end, the two of them had decided that if Sirius was becoming affected by whatever was being said, Harry would try to find a way to calm him down like he would have anyways. With a quick look at the time, Harry notices that it's about time that he make his way to the great hall for breakfast. With one quick look at his godfather, he raises his wand and is about to utter a spell, when the door to the room opens. With a look behind him, he sees Ron and Hermione entering the room, and puts his wand down.

"What's up, guys?" He asks, grinning, excited about the reading of this book, and hopefully, the freedom of Sirius by the end of it – or well, at least, Amelia recognizing and acknowledging that his godfather should be free and doing something about it after the readings.

"We were making sure you and Sirius were awake. A lot of the students are downstairs already, waiting for you guys—"

"And a few others," Ron interrupts, before letting Hermione continue, while she rolls her eyes.

"For you guys, and well, it'd been awhile." Hermione finishes, shrugging and smiling lightly, before going to Harry and giving him a full kiss on the lips.

"God, I've been wanting to do that forever," She mutters minutes later, once Ron had cleared his throat to remind the two of them that they weren't alone. "I hate no one knowing that we're together but Ron and Neville,"

"Admittedly though, I think by the end of all of these books, everyone will know about us."Harry grins, giving Hermione a quick kiss back.

"Awh, how adorable." Harry hears behind him and he turns around and grins at his godfather, who is stretching himself awake.

"Ready for today, Sirius?" Hermione questions her boyfriend's godfather, grinning herself in return, happy that Harry is always happy around Sirius.

"Of course, Miss. Granger," Sirius states, cocking an eyebrow, making Hermione blush and Ron laugh and roll his eyes.

"Then let's go." Ron states, turning around and walking to the door, holding it open for the other three people in the room.

The walk down to the great hall is slow, Harry wanting to spend as much as time with his godfather in his normal form for as long as he can. The two of them joke around for some time, having a few laughs and smacking one another upside the head. Hermione and Ron both smile at them throughout the walk, happy that Harry and Sirius can spend time together, and that Harry can act himself, without any worries for the time being.

However, the time comes for Sirius to transform into his animagus and with a longsuffering sigh, and a quick squeeze to Harry's shoulder, does just that. With a sad sigh, Harry opens the door with his two friends alongside him and Sirius slightly in front, to absolute chaos.

"What the—" Ron starts, absolutely confused, as when Hermione and himself had left the Great Hall, the hall was nothing like this. All around, people were talking to one another. Some were shouting over others, some were trying to communicate half way across the room. Some people had started eating, only to have forgotten their dishes in favor of staring at Amelia Bones, who seemed to be going on. At the Gryffindor table, everyone looked completely confused, though with their wands out, seemingly looking for someone. Within minutes, Neville spots the trio and shouts out, "Harry!" causing many people to look at him and then become silent, creating a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Uhm, what's going on?" Harry questions, looking to and from everyone in confusion.

"This letter, Mr. Potter." Amelia states, waving it like a flag from where she sits.

"What's so important about it?" Hermione questions, scrunching up her brow in confusion.

"The words." Someone else states, and Harry looks at that person, even more confused than before.

"It says – _Whatever you do, do not curse, hex, or raise your wand toward this next person that's about to come into the room. You are to let him sit where he sits, and read the books alongside you. It is essential that he stays alive._" Amelia finishes.

"Do you know, Potter, of anyone that you would raise your wand to that are not in this room?" Umbridge questions, and many people roll their eyes at the obviousness of the answer that would come from that. However, before Harry could respond, another blue light flashes in the middle of the room, staying for a few minutes before disappearing.

Once the light fades away, Harry can see a very short man, hardly taller than Harry himself. His eyes squint in anger noticing the man's thin, colorless hair and his watery eyes. All around him, people are gasping and shouting in surprise as the man looks around absolutely confused but Harry is paying no attention.

"YOU!" He snarls before running forward, anger coursing through him. Without even a second thought, Harry can feel his body transforming into his brand new animagus form, something Ron, Hermione, Neville, the twins and himself had recently done to get a way up in the war, telling no one bout it. He can hear more gasps of surprise, can briefly hear Sirius' thoughts in his head, but he shakes those away before attacking the man, and growling at him.

"Harry, NO!" He hears Hermione shout, trying to pull him back, alongside Fred and Ron.

"Mate," Fred begins, pulling on his animagus form's shoulder.

"Christ, he's got to look like a grim too, doesn't he?" He hears Ron mumble, before Fred continues his thought, "I know the note said no raising your wand toward Pettigrew, but I don't think the note wants you to attack him, either." Fred finishes, and with one last snarl, Harry transforms back into his human form, smiling sheepishly at Sirius and Remus, who look shocked, as much as they can.

"What on Merlin's beard is going on?" Amelia shouts once the noise had gotten to a large amount.

"Madam Bones, this is Peter Pettigrew," Hermione states, glaring at him briefly, "And I know you're confused, but the book will explain everything, we promise!" Hermione finishes, looking around the room briefly, noticing the anger that Harry's parents have and the surprised looks on many others faces.

"Alright, but why did Harry-?"

"Like I said, the book will explain everything, but Pettigrew isn't what he seems. I mean, afterall," Hermione begins, shrugging, "He's alive, isn't he?" She grins sheepishly while James and Lily open their mouths in shock, before realizing that they're finally going to figure out the truth of what they missed on.

Amelia nods her head and sits back down while Albus removes the tables and allows couches to replace them. Harry ends up sitting next to Hermione and Sirius in the very center couch, facing his parents. Next to Hermione is Ron, then Neville. Next to Sirius is Remus, then Tonks, who smiles briefly at Remus, making him blush.

The next couch, to the left of Neville, holds the twins and their older brothers. Next to that couch, in a semi-circular couch, is Arthur, Molly and Ginny, sitting next to Luna who keeps looking at Ron.

On the couch next to Tonks is Kingsley, Mad-Eye, and Narcissa. Next is Draco, Lucius, and to Harry's complete dismay, Pettigrew. Then there's Viktor, Justin, Hannah and Susan. The rest of the school is scattered in couches around the hall, with the teachers remaining in their own couches at the front of the room, and the Ministry workers remaining in tables next to them, except Amelia, who sits in an armchair.

"Who wants to read first?" Amelia questions, letting the book float out of its cover, and stay in midair. After a few minutes, the book floats to Ron, who grabs it and opens it.


	40. Chapter 40

**Author's Note:** Thanks for all of the reviews guys, they were awesome! Make sure to check out the author's note at the end of the updated chapter (Chapter 42)

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE, Owl Post **

**Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy in many ways.**

"Well, that's nice," Hermione interrupts, wrinkling her nose.

**For one thing, he hated the summer holidays more than any other time of year. For another, he really wanted to do his homework but was forced to do it in secret, in the dead of night. **

"WHAT?!" George shouts, while his twin just looks at him with humor in his expression.

"What?" He repeats, though quieter.

"What else do you expect?" Fred states, shrugging, before grinning at Harry.

**And he also happened to be a wizard. **

"Well, duh." Someone laughs.

**It was nearly midnight, and he was lying on his stomach in bed, the blankets drawn right over his head like a tent, a flashlight in one hand and a large leather-bound book (**_**A History of Magic **_**by Bathilda Bagshot) propped open against the pillow. Harry moved the tip of his eagle-feather quill down the page, frowning as he looked for something that would help him write his essay, 'Witch Burning in the Fourteenth Century Was Completely Pointless — discuss.' **

**The quill paused at the top of a likely looking paragraph. Harry pushed his round glasses up the bridge of his nose, moved his flashlight closer to the book, and read: **

_**Non-magic people (more commonly known as Muggles) were particularly afraid of magic in medieval times, but not very good at recognizing it. On the rare occasion that they did catch a real witch or wizard, burning had no effect whatsoever. The witch or wizard would perform a basic Flame-Freezing Charm and then pretend to shriek with pain while enjoying a gentle, tickling sensation. Indeed, Wendelin the Weird enjoyed being burned so much that she allowed herself to be caught no less than forty-seven times in various disguises. **_

**Harry put his quill between his teeth and reached underneath his pillow for his inkbottle and a roll of parchment. Slowly and very carefully he unscrewed the ink bottle, dipped his quill into it, and began to write, pausing every now and then to listen, because if any of the Dursleys heard the scratching of his quill on their way to the bathroom, he'd probably find himself locked in the cupboard under the stairs for the rest of the summer. **

Many people could hear growls coming from Sirius and James, and tried to back away slightly, knowing that they couldn't, though.

**The Dursley family of Number Four, Privet Drive, was the reason that Harry never enjoyed his summer holidays. **

"And such a shame, too." James sighs, shaking his head.

**Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and their son, Dudley, were Harry's only living relatives. They were Muggles, and they had a very medieval attitude toward magic. Harry's dead parents, who had been a witch and wizard themselves, were never mentioned under the Dursleys' roof. For years, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had hoped that if they kept Harry as downtrodden as possible, they would be able to squash the magic out of him.**

Lily could be heard growling from here, muttering the things she would do to her sister when they met again.

**To their fury, they had not been unsuccessful. These days they lived in terror of anyone finding out that Harry had spent most of the last two years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. **

"If Harry was my nephew I would be proud!" Neville snarled, while some looked at him curiously, making him blush and shrug.

**The most they could do, however, was to lock away Harry's spell books, wand, cauldron, and broomstick at the start of the summer break, and forbid him to talk to the neighbors. **

"Like he would've wanted to talk to the neighbours anyways!" Ginny snarls while Hermione giggles.

"What?"

"He did." She snorts, shaking her head.

**This separation from his spell books had been a real problem for Harry, because his teachers at Hogwarts had given him a lot of holiday work.**

"I never understood that. I mean, in muggle schools, you don't get homework over the summer." A muggleborn third year states, while the teachers think about that.

**One of the essays, a particularly nasty one about shrinking potions, was for Harry's least favorite teacher, Professor Snape, who would be delighted to have an excuse to give Harry detention for a month.**

"Even though it was out of his control?" Lily snaps, angry at her old friend, who cringes away while James watches him.

**Harry had therefore seized his chance in the first week of the holidays. While Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley had gone out into the front garden to admire Uncle Vernon's new company car (in very loud voices, so that the rest of the street would notice it too), Harry had crept downstairs, picked the lock on the cupboard under the stairs, grabbed some of his books, and hidden them in his bedroom. As long as he didn't leave spots of ink on the sheets, the Dursleys need never know that he was studying magic by night. **

"Would they actually check your sheets?" Ron asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Actually, probably not." Harry replied, shrugging.

**Harry was particularly keen to avoid trouble with his aunt and uncle at the moment, as they were already in an especially bad mood with him, all because he'd received a telephone call from a fellow wizard one week into the school vacation. **

Ron cringes, while many people look at him, in confusion. "Why look at me and not Hermione?" He mutters.

"Well, duh." James replies.

"She's muggleborn, Ronald. She'd know how to use a phone." Lily finishes, reminded Ron very much of Hermione, making his eyes go wide and Hermione giggle at his reaction.

**Ron Weasley, who was one of Harry's best friends at Hogwarts, came from a whole family of wizards. This meant that he knew a lot of things Harry didn't, but had never used a telephone before. Most unluckily, it had been Uncle Vernon who had answered the call. **

"I'm cringing on the inside right now," George grimaces while Bill nods his head.

"**Vernon Dursley speaking." **

**Harry, who happened to be in the room at the time, froze as he heard Ron's voice answer. **

"**HELLO? HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? I — WANT — TO — TALK — TO — HARRY — POTTER!" **

Many of the muggleborns cringed and shook their heads, while the others looked on in confusion, believing that the way Ron was using this phone was the correct way.

"You're not s'pose to yell into it." The muggle studies professor had stated, glad that her expertise could be of use in this book, unlike the last one.

**Ron was yelling so loudly that Uncle Vernon jumped and held the receiver a foot away from his ear, staring at it with an expression of mingled fury and alarm. **

"**WHO IS THIS?" he roared in the direction of the mouthpiece. "WHO ARE YOU?" **

"**RON — WEASLEY!" Ron bellowed back, as though he and Uncle Vernon were speaking from opposite ends of a football field. "I'M — A — FRIEND — OF — HARRY'S — FROM — SCHOOL —" **

**Uncle Vernon's small eyes swiveled around to Harry, who was rooted to the spot. **

Harry cringed when he heard Sirius growling, and began petting him lightly.

"**THERE IS NO HARRY POTTER HERE!" he roared, now holding the receiver at arm's length, as though frightened it might explode. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT SCHOOL YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! NEVER CONTACT ME AGAIN! DON'T YOU COME NEAR MY FAMILY!" **

"Oh yes, because just because they're looking for my son means they want to –" Lily started before stopping and snapping her mouth shut.

"Oh." James ended, his eyes widening before he shakes lightly.

**And he threw the receiver back onto the telephone as if dropping a poisonous spider. The fight that had followed had been one of the worst ever. **

James and Sirius, and even Remus, could be heard growling at this sentence.

"**HOW DARE YOU GIVE THIS NUMBER TO PEOPLE LIKE — PEOPLE LIKE **_**YOU**_**!" Uncle Vernon had roared, spraying Harry with spit. **

"BECAUSE PEOPLE LIKE HARRY ARE SO BAD!" Someone shouts, their fists clenched in anger.

**Ron obviously realized that he'd gotten Harry into trouble, because he hadn't called again. Harry's other best friend from Hogwarts, Hermione Granger, hadn't been in touch either. **

"Such a shame! And you guys obviously don't visit one anothers houses!" Lily sighed, saddened while Harry and Hermione looked at one another, surprised.

**Harry suspected that Ron had warned Hermione not to call, which was a pity, because Hermione, the cleverest witch in Harry's year, had Muggle parents, knew perfectly well how to use a telephone, and would probably have had enough sense not to say that she went to Hogwarts. **

"Were you actually upset?" Hermione questions while Harry nods, grasping her hand comfortingly.

**So Harry had had no word from any of his wizarding friends for five long weeks, and this summer was turning out to be almost as bad as the last one. There was just one very small improvement — after swearing that he wouldn't use her to send letters to any of his friends, Harry had been allowed to let his owl, Hedwig, out at night. Uncle Vernon had given in because of the racket Hedwig made if she was locked in her cage all the time. **

"That's animal abuse!" Someone shouted, feeling sad for the beautiful owl.

**Harry finished writing about Wendelin the Weird and paused to listen again. The silence in the dark house was broken only by the distant, grunting snores of his enormous cousin, Dudley. It must be very late, Harry thought. His eyes were itching with tiredness. Perhaps he'd finish this essay tomorrow night… **

"Harry, don't procrastinate!" Molly interrupts.

"It's the middle of the night. I think he's allowed to get his bloody sleep!" Lily and James snap, annoyance bubbling up within them.

**He replaced the top of the ink bottle; pulled an old pillowcase from under his bed; put the flashlight, **_**A History of Magic**_**, his essay, quill, and ink inside it; got out of bed; and hid the lot under a loose floorboard under his bed. **

"Ooh, very nice hiding spot." James grins.

**Then he stood up, stretched, and checked the time on the luminous alarm clock on his bedside table. It was one o'clock in the morning. Harry's stomach gave a funny jolt. He had been thirteen years old, without realizing it, for a whole hour. **

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Many people shouted while Harry just looked down and blushed.

**Yet another unusual thing about Harry was how little he looked forward to his birthdays.**

Many people could be heard growling at this, and Harry had to bite his lip to stop himself from gasping in surprise that people had actually cared about him.

**He had never received a birthday card in his life. The Dursleys had completely ignored his last two birthdays, and he had no reason to suppose they would remember this one. **

"Does the boy mean Lily's sister?" Peter questions, while many people look at him, forgetting he was there, and Harry growls, briefly transforming back into his animagus form.

"Harry, I need to know." Remus begins, "How on earth did you become an animagus without any of us knowing?" He finishes, noting how Harry – and five others – blush.

"It's kind of a long story." Harry says, jumping when Sirius barks. "Can I tell you later?" He finishes, shrugging as Remus nods, curiosity thrumming through him.

**Harry walked across the dark room, past Hedwig's large, empty cage, to the open window. He leaned on the sill, the cool night air pleasant on his face after a long time under the blankets. Hedwig had been absent for two nights now. Harry wasn't worried about her: she'd been gone this long before. But he hoped she'd be back soon — she was the only living creature in this house who didn't flinch at the sight of him. **

"Aw," Some people muttered, looking at Harry with an expression he wasn't use to being given.

**Harry, though still rather small and skinny for his age, had grown a few inches over the last year. His jet-black hair, however, was just as it always had been — stubbornly untidy, whatever he did to it. The eyes behind his glasses were bright green, and on his forehead, clearly visible through his hair, was a thin scar, shaped like a bolt of lightning. Of all the unusual things about Harry, this scar was the most extraordinary of all. **

"Yes, but can we just skip this part?" Lily mutters, sighing and putting her chin in her hands.

**It was not, as the Dursleys had pretended for ten years, a souvenir of the car crash that had killed Harry's parents, because Lily and James Potter had not died in a car crash. **

Pettigrew could be noticed growing paler, and Harry shifted slightly, grabbing hold of Sirius, who was also growling.

**They had been murdered, murdered by the most feared Dark wizard for a hundred years, Lord Voldemort. Harry had escaped from the same attack with nothing more than a scar on his forehead, where Voldemort's curse, instead of killing him, had rebounded upon its originator. Barely alive, Voldemort had fled… **

"But not for long, obviously." Peter mumbles, with Sirius snapping at him and Remus growling, while James just glares.

**But Harry had come face-to-face with him at Hogwarts. Remembering their last meeting as he stood at the dark window, Harry had to admit he was lucky even to have reached his thirteenth birthday. **

"Why must you be so damn pessimistic?!" James laughs, his mood slightly lifted.

**He scanned the starry sky for a sign of Hedwig, perhaps soaring back to him with a dead mouse dangling from her beak, expecting praise. Gazing absently over the rooftops, it was a few seconds before Harry realized what he was seeing. **

"What are you seeing?" Someone questions, tilting their heads.

**Silhouetted against the golden moon, and growing larger every moment, was a large, strangely lopsided creature, and it was flapping in Harry's direction. **

"That's one large creature," Justin mutters, smirking a little.

**He stood quite still, watching it sink lower and lower. For a split second he hesitated, his hand on the window latch, wondering whether to slam it shut. But then the bizarre creature soared over one of the street lamps of Privet Drive, and Harry, realizing what it was, leapt aside. **

"Is it Hedwig?" Someone else asks, while another person rolls their eyes.

"Probably. I don't see Harry letting just anything inside his room."

**Through the window soared three owls, two of them holding up the third, which appeared to be unconscious.**

"What kind of owl arrives unconscious?" Charlie asks while Ron and Harry snort in amusement.

**They landed with a soft **_**flump **_**on Harry's bed, and the middle owl, which was large and gray, keeled right over and lay motionless. There was a large package tied to its legs. Harry recognized the unconscious owl at once — his name was Errol, and he belonged to the Weasley family.**

"Oh." Charlie laughed before shaking his head while Molly looked at the book in her sons hands curiously.

**Harry dashed to the bed, untied the cords around Errol's legs, took off the parcel, and then carried Errol to Hedwig's cage. Errol opened one bleary eye, gave a feeble hoot of thanks, and began to gulp some water. **

"Very nice, son." Lily mumbles, pride filling her voice.

**Harry turned back to the remaining owls. One of them, the large snowy female, was his own Hedwig. She, too, was carrying a parcel and looked extremely pleased with herself. She gave Harry an affectionate nip with her beak as he removed her burden, then flew across the room to join Errol. **

"She's such a beauty." Hermione whispers, a smile on her face at the thought of Harry's owl.

**Harry didn't recognize the third owl, a handsome tawny one, but he knew at once where it had come from, because in addition to a third package, it was carrying a letter bearing the Hogwarts crest. When Harry relieved this owl of its burden, it ruffled its feathers importantly, stretched its wings, and took off through the window into the night.**

"Hogwarts owls do think they are quite important." James laughs, trying to remain calm despite his ex-best friend being so close to him.

**Harry sat down on his bed and grabbed Errol's package, ripped off the brown paper, and discovered a present wrapped in gold and his first ever birthday card.**

"Your first ever?" Hermione whispered aghast, squeezing Harry's hand, hurt on his behalf.

**Fingers trembling slightly, he opened the envelope. Two pieces of paper fell out — a letter and a newspaper clipping. **

**The clipping had clearly come out of the wizarding newspaper, the **_**Daily Prophet**_**, because the people in the black-and-white picture were moving. Harry picked up the clipping, smoothed it out, and read: **

_**MINISTRY OF MAGIC EMPLOYEE SCOOPS GRAND PRIZE **_

"Yay!" James says, clapping his hands.

_**Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, has won the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. A delighted Mr. Weasley told the Daily Prophet, "We will be spending the gold on a summer holiday in Egypt, where our eldest son, Bill, works as a curse breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank."The Weasley family will be spending a month in Egypt, returning for the start of the new school year at Hogwarts, which five of the Weasley children currently attend. **_

**Harry scanned the moving photograph, and a grin spread across his face as he saw all nine of the Weasleys waving furiously at him, standing in front of a large pyramid.**

"Man, that photo took forever to take!" Ron grumbles before grinning and laughing a little.

**Plump little Mrs. Weasley; tall, balding Mr. Weasley; six sons; and one daughter, all (though the black-and-white picture didn't show it) with flaming-red hair. Right in the middle of the picture was Ron, tall and gangling, with his pet rat, Scabbers, on his shoulder and his arm around his little sister, Ginny. **

Harry could be heard growling at the word rat, and many people stared at him in confusion, unsure of why he was acting that way.

**Harry couldn't think of anyone who deserved to win a large pile of gold more than the Weasleys, who were very nice and extremely poor.**

All of the Weasley's blushed while Harry grinned sheepishly, shrugging slightly.

**He picked up Ron's letter and unfolded it. **

_**Dear Harry, **_

_**Happy birthday! Look, I'm really sorry about that telephone call. I hope the Muggles didn't give you a hard time. I asked Dad, and he reckons I shouldn't have shouted. **_

"Too right you shouldn't have." Mad-Eye growled, surprising many others.

_**It's amazing here in Egypt. Bill's taken us around all the tombs and you wouldn't believe the curses those old Egyptian wizards put on them. Mum wouldn't let Ginny come in the last one. There were all these mutant skeletons in there, of Muggles who'd broken in and grown extra heads and stuff. **_

"COOL!" James, and many others, exclaim, their eyes widening.

_**I couldn't believe it when Dad won the Daily Prophet Draw. Seven hundred galleons! Most of it's gone on this trip, but they're going to buy me a new wand for next year. **_

"Well, I would certainly hope so." Lily says quietly with James nodding his head in agreement.

**Harry remembered only too well the occasion when Ron's old wand had snapped. It had happened when the car the two of them had been flying to Hogwarts had crashed into a tree on the school grounds. **

"Good times!' The twins laughed, winking at Harry, who could only grin and shake his head.

_**We'll be back about a week before term starts and we'll be going up to London to get my wand and our new books. Any chance of meeting you there? Don't let the Muggles get you down! **_

_**Try and come to London, **_

_**Ron **_

_**P.S. Percy's Head Boy. He got the letter last week. **_

"God, that was a horrible summer!" George mutters, remembering Percy's continuous streak of polishing the badge.

**Harry glanced back at the photograph. Percy, who was in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts, was looking particularly smug.**

"Seriously?" Lily gasped, eyes wide.

**He had pinned his Head Boy badge to the fez perched jauntily on top of his neat hair, his horn-rimmed glasses flashing in the Egyptian sun. **

Many people snorted at the image of Percy that they could imagine, while James just shook his head and was thankful that he was never like that himself.

**Harry now turned to his present and unwrapped it. Inside was what looked like a miniature glass spinning top. **

Lily tilted her head in slight confusion, knowing that Ron would have no idea about a muggle toy, and curious as to what the thing actuall was.

"A sneakoscope," Some people whisper, nearly laughing, while others shrug slightly.

"What?" Lily states, while James just pats her hand and tells her to wait.

**There was another note from Ron beneath it. **

_**Harry — this is a Pocket Sneakoscope. If there's someone untrustworthy around, it's supposed to light up and spin. **_

"Oh, but that's so interesting!" Lily gasps, her eyes wide whilst James grins and kisses her cheek/

_**Bill says it's rubbish sold for wizard tourists and isn't reliable, because it kept lighting up at dinner last night. But he didn't realize Fred and George had put beetles in his soup. **_

"Or maybe that Pettigrew was around." Harry whispers, snarling, while Sirius nudges him with his nose.

_**Bye — Ron **_

**Harry put the Pocket Sneakoscope on his bedside table, where it stood quite still, balanced on its point, reflecting the luminous hands of his clock. He looked at it happily for a few seconds, then picked up the parcel Hedwig had brought. **

"Why were you so happy about a Sneakoscope?" Ginny mutters confused and judging, before Hermione rolls her eyes.

"Maybe because he still wasn't so use to never getting anything for his birthday." She snaps.

"He never got gifts?" Peter asks, his eyes wide, while Sirius snarls at him and he backs away, with James and Lily looking on in confusion.

**Inside this, too, there was a wrapped present, a card, and a letter, this time from Hermione. **

"Oh, what did she give you, dear?" Lily asks, clapping her hands in happiness and excitement while the two blush.

_**Dear Harry, **_

_**Ron wrote to me and told me about his phone call to your Uncle Vernon. I do hope you're all right. **_

"Why did you never call him, Hermione?" A muggleborn first year Ravenclaw asks while Hermione frowns.

"I – I don't know." She replies, biting her lip in confusion, before writing it down.

_**I'm on holiday in France at the moment and I didn't know how I was going to send this to you — what if they'd opened it at customs?**_

"That's actually a really good question." Lily frowns while many pure and halfbloods look on in confusion.

— _**but then Hedwig turned up!**_

"Maybe she's his familiar?" James shrugs, noting how often Hedwig shows up when needed.

_**I think she wanted to make sure you got something for your birthday for a change. I bought your present by owl-order; there was an advertisement in the Daily Prophet (I've been getting it delivered; it's so good to keep up with what's going on in the wizarding world). Did you see that picture of Ron and his family a week ago? I bet he's learning loads. I'm really jealous — the ancient Egyptian wizards were fascinating. **_

"Hermione, you were jealous?" Ron guffaws, while Hermione blushes and Harry laughs.

_**There's some interesting local history of witchcraft here, too. I've rewritten my whole History of Magic essay to include some of the things I've found out, I hope it's not too long — it's two rolls of parchment more than Professor Binns asked for. **_

"My god, she's just like me." Lily laughs, her head tilted back in laughter.

_**Ron says he's going to be in London in the last week of the holidays. Can you make it? Will your aunt and uncle let you come? I really hope you can. If not, I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express on September first! **_

_**Love from Hermione **_

"Aw!" Many people coo, while Hermione blushes and looks at Harry slightly while James and Lily grin at one another and try not to giggle.

_**P.S. Ron says Percy's Head Boy. I'll bet Percy's really pleased. Ron doesn't seem too happy about it. **_

**Harry laughed as he put Hermione's letter aside and picked up her present. It was very heavy. Knowing Hermione, he was sure it would be a large book full of very difficult spells **

Hermione blushed as everyone laughed, stopping when she noticed Harry grinning.

— **but it wasn't. His heart gave a huge bound as he ripped back the paper and saw a sleek black leather case, with silver words stamped across it, reading **_**Broomstick Servicing Kit. **_

"Harry, marry this girl!" James says with his eyes wide in appreciation while Lily rolls her eyes at her husband with a smile on her face.

"**Wow, Hermione!" Harry whispered, unzipping the case to look inside. **

"I don't know if I ever said it, but thank you!" Harry whispers to her, kissing her lightly while everyone coos at them.

"You're welcome," Hermione replies, smiling before kissing him back. Lily beams while James grins, trying not to let the look on Ginny's face ruin their son's happiness.

**There was a large jar of Fleetwood's High-Finish Handle Polish, a pair of gleaming silver Tail-Twig Clippers, a tiny brass compass to clip on your broom for long journeys, and a **_**Handbook of Do-It-Yourself Broomcare. **_

**Apart from his friends, the thing that Harry missed most about Hogwarts was Quidditch, the most popular sport in the magical world **

"Goes to show how much she knows him." Fred grins, happy for his honorary brother.

— **highly dangerous, very exciting, and played on broomsticks. Harry happened to be a very good Quidditch player; he had been the youngest person in a century to be picked for one of the Hogwarts House teams. One of Harry's most prized possessions was his Nimbus Two Thousand racing broom. **

"Oh." Ron interrupts, surprise on his face while Harry looks on in confusion before his eyes widen and he smirks a little.

**Harry put the leather case aside and picked up his last parcel. He recognized the untidy scrawl on the brown paper at once: this was from Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper. He tore off the top layer of paper and glimpsed something green and leathery, but before he could unwrap it properly, the parcel gave a strange quiver, and whatever was inside it snapped loudly — as though it had jaws. **

"Um, Hagrid, you didn't give my baby something dangerous, did you?" Lily asks with slight worry in her tone, while James snorts and Hagrid grimaces.

**Harry froze. He knew that Hagrid would never send him anything dangerous on purpose, but then, Hagrid didn't have a normal person's view of what was dangerous.**

"Well, that's slightly better." Lily says, nodding slightly.

**Hagrid had been known to befriend giant spiders, buy vicious, three-headed dogs from men in pubs, and sneak illegal dragon eggs into his cabin. **

**Harry poked the parcel nervously.**

Fred snorts, "You poked it."

"Why would you poke it?"

"Poking it." The twins finish together, snorting some more.

**It snapped loudly again. Harry reached for the lamp on his bedside table, gripped it firmly in one hand, and raised it over his head, ready to strike. Then he seized the rest of the wrapping paper in his other hand and pulled. **

By this time, many people had inched forward in their seats, curious as to what the gift was, if they didn't have to buy the book themselves.

**And out fell — a book.**

"Are- are- you – serious?" Pettigrew states, while Harry snarls and Hermione tries to restrain him.

**Harry just had time to register its handsome green cover, emblazoned with the golden title **_**The Monster Book of Monsters**_**, before it flipped onto its edge and scuttled sideways along the bed like some weird crab. **

"Oh, I've heard of that." Lily mutters.

"It's the book that gave everyone a hell of a time up in hea—"

"LILY." James shouts, while Lily's eyes go wide and she stutters and grins, faltering a little.

"**Uh-oh," Harry muttered. The book toppled off the bed with a loud clunk and shuffled rapidly across the room. **

"Book better not get my son in trouble with the assholes." James snarls, his fists clenching.

**Harry followed it stealthily. The book was hiding in the dark space under his desk. Praying that the Dursleys were still fast asleep, Harry got down on his hands and knees and reached toward it. **

"**Ouch!" **

**The book snapped shut on his hand and then flapped past him, still scuttling on its covers. Harry scrambled around, threw himself forward, and managed to flatten it. Uncle Vernon gave a loud, sleepy grunt in the room next door. **

Many people snorted, while Harry just shrugged, uncaring.

**Hedwig and Errol watched interestedly as Harry clamped the struggling book tightly in his arms, hurried to his chest of drawers, and pulled out a belt, which he buckled tightly around it. **

"Harry—"

"We didn't know you could use belts—"

"For other things-" The twins stated, smirking while Hermione giggled.

"Of course he can." She replied, while many people dropped their mouths in shock and James burst out laughing.

"Hermione!" Harry laughed, shaking his own head.

**The Monster Book shuddered angrily, but could no longer flap and snap, so Harry threw it down on the bed and reached for Hagrid's card. **

_**Dear Harry, **_

_**Happy Birthday! **_

_**Think you might find this useful for next year. Won't say no more here. Tell you when I see you. **_

_**Hope the Muggles are treating you right. **_

_**All the best, **_

_**Hagrid **_

"Next year?" James questions while Lily smiles lightly.

"Don't worry, he'll get it." She smirks.

**It struck Harry as ominous that Hagrid thought a biting book would come in useful, but he put Hagrid's card up next to Ron's and Hermione's, grinning more broadly than ever. Now there was only the letter from Hogwarts left. **

Everyone smiled lightly, happy that Harry seemed to be happy himself, until they noticed Harry grimacing slightly.

**Noticing that it was rather thicker than usual, Harry slit open the envelope, pulled out the first page of parchment within, and read: **

_**Dear Mr. Potter, **_

_**Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock. **_

_**Third years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade on certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission form to your parent or guardian to sign. **_

_**A list of books for next year is enclosed. **_

_**Yours sincerely,  
Professor M. McGonagall **_

_**Deputy Headmistress **_

"Oh, it's the year for Hogsmeade!" James whispers in excitement, while Lily bites her lip.

"Yeah, and what do you need to go to Hogsmeade?"

"A pare- oh." He says, frowning slightly while looking at Harry, who is now looking down at Sirius in his animagus form and stroking the fur.

**Harry pulled out the Hogsmeade permission form and looked at it, no longer grinning.**

"Oh, how I wish it was differnet." Minerva mutters, while many others nod their heads.

**It would be wonderful to visit Hogsmeade on weekends; he knew it was an entirely wizarding village, and he had never set foot there. But how on earth was he going to persuade Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia to sign the form? **

**He looked over at the alarm clock. It was now two o'clock in the morning. **

"Harry James-Sirius, you go to bed." James sighs, while Harry's eyes widen in shock.

"Sirius?" He questions, while James cocks his head.

"I'm assuming it's another thing you weren't told." James sighs before looking at Sirius curiously.

"Well, I always believed my middle name was James."

"And it is. The only thing is, it's also Sirius." James sighs while Harry looks on and Lily bites her lip.

"It's annoying that _no one _has told you, in all honesty." James says, snarling at the no one while looking towards Remus and Sirius who flinch. Harry, having noticed this, glares lightly.

"After this chapter, I'm taking my dog and having a talk with him." He states, crossing his arms and noting Sirius looking at him curiously.

**Deciding that he'd worry about the Hogsmeade form when he woke up, Harry got back into bed and reached up to cross off another day on the chart he'd made for himself, counting down the days left until his return to Hogwarts. Then he took off his glasses and lay down; eyes open, facing his three birthday cards. **

**Extremely unusual though he was, at that moment Harry Potter felt just like everyone else — glad, for the first time in his life, that it was his birthday.**

Many people remained silent for that sentence, while staring at Harry, who had only just stood up and started tugging on Sirius' fur, dragging him out of the room, needing to talk to his godfather about something. By the time everyone had the discretion to look away, it hadn't mattered, as Harry was already out of the room and making his way to an empty hallway a few ways away from the great hall. Within minutes, Sirius had transformed and had his arms crossed in front of him with a stern gaze on his face.

"Were you ever going to tell me you had become an animagus, Harry?" Harry closed his mouth into a snap and glared slightly.

"Well, of course. Hermione, Ron and I, alongside Fred and George, have been trying to be animagi for quite a while, figuring it could help us in the war. I was going to tell you soon, especially since I was having some trouble originally, but I wanted to tell you on your birthday and—"

"Harry," Sirius interrupted, smiling slightly and putting his hands on Harry's shoulders, "It's alright. I understand." He smiled some more, "What is it you wanted to tell me?"

"You need to transform. Like, now!" Harry nearly shouts, while Sirius sighs.

"That rat is there, Sirius, in that room!" Harry shouts, his hands spread in anger, "You could easily transform, explain everything and all would be perfectly fine! That rat would be gone for good and you wouldn't have to stay a dog!" He finishes, panting. He notices Sirius has his arms crossed again and has a certain look on his face, and gets suddenly angry.

"WHY WON'T YOU TRANSFORM? YOU COULD—"

"Harry, ENOUGH." Sirius finishes, while Harry steps back in surprise and has his eyes wide, before looking down guiltily. He feels Sirius wrap him in a hug, and after tilting his head back slightly, hears him speaking.

"It's a good idea, but I've come to notice that the people in that hall have a hard time believing anything they hear, unless they hear it from the books first." He states, pulling Harry away slightly.

"I find it better if they hear the truth through the books first, because if I go and transform before the right time, all hell will break loose." He finishes, while Harry bites his lip, finding himself in agreement with his godfather. He sighs, before nodding his head, and the two of them make their way back, seeing the book by Narcissa's hands.


	41. Chapter 41

**CHAPTER TWO, Aunt Marge's Big Mistake **

Ron's eyes went wide before he turned towards Harry with a smirk. "Is this when-?"

"Yep," Harry grins, his eyes shining while James and Sirius look on in curiosity.

**Harry went down to breakfast the next morning to find the three Dursleys already sitting around the kitchen table.**

"What did they learn how to cook their own food?" Someone shouts, with everyone laughing in response.

**They were watching a brand-new television, a welcome-home-for-the-summer present for Dudley, who had been complaining loudly about the long walk between the fridge and the television in the living room. **

"Merlin, they're kidding, right?" Remus questions, his eyes wide with surprise while many people roll their eyes in annoyance at the Dursley's.

**Dudley had spent most of the summer in the kitchen, his piggy little eyes fixed on the screen and his five chins wobbling as he ate continually. **

"That is not a good image to have." Hermione shudders, holding back a gag while many others nod their heads in agreement.

**Harry sat down between Dudley and Uncle Vernon, a large, beefy man with very little neck and a lot of mustache.**

"Do we have to go through this for every damn book?" Fred mutters glaring slightly, having a bad feeling about this book.

**Far from wishing Harry a happy birthday, none of the Dursleys made any sign that they had noticed Harry enter the room, but Harry was far too used to this to care.**

Sirius could be heard growling, James could be seen cracking his knuckles and the rat could be seen shrinking back into the couch, biting his lip nervously.

**He helped himself to a piece of toast and then looked up at the reporter on the television, who was halfway through a report on an escaped convict. **

"An escaped convict?" James mutters, not understanding why that's being mentioned.

"What's that got to do anything?" Someone else mutters while Lily rolls her eyes.

"Narcissa, can you please repeat the title of this book."

"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban."

"Oh." James grins sheepishly, running his fingers through his hair, a blush on his face.

"… **the public is warned that Black is armed and extremely dangerous. A special hot line has been set up, and any sighting of Black should be reported immediately." **

"I'm sorry, did she just say 'Black'?" Lily gasps, her eyes striding towards the dog while James scrunches his face up.

"Why in the blood name of Merlin would Sirius be in fucking Azkaban?" he shouts, his face going red in anger while he looks around, worried.

"**No need to tell us **_**he's **_**no good," snorted Uncle Vernon, staring over the top of his newspaper at the prisoner. "Look at the state of him, the filthy layabout! Look at his hair!" **

Sirius barks at this while Harry snorts, "It was in a sad state," He mumbles, causing Sirius to playfully snap at him.

**He shot a nasty look sideways at Harry, whose untidy hair had always been a source of great annoyance to Uncle Vernon.**

"Why does that not surprise me." Lily snorts, worried about her husband, who was currently sitting with his legs against his chest, his arms holding them up.

"Sweetie."

"Sirius isn't someone to go to prison. Why would he go to prison? I just don't get it."

**Compared to the man on the television, however, whose gaunt face was surrounded by a matted, elbow-length tangle, Harry felt very well groomed indeed. **

"I just don't understand!" James mutters.

**The reporter had reappeared. **

"**The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will announce today —" **

"**Hang on!" barked Uncle Vernon, staring furiously at the reporter. "You didn't tell us where that maniac's escaped from! What use is that? Lunatic could be coming up the street right now!" **

Harry snorted at that, before the snort turned into full beams of laughter. "Oh my… god, but.. oh shit, that's."

"Harry?" Hermione questions.

"HE WAS ON HIS WAY. REMEMBER, WHEN I—"

"Oh." Hermione says, beginning to laugh herself, while Ron just rolls his eyes and smirks.

**Aunt Petunia, who was bony and horse-faced, whipped around and peered intently out of the kitchen window.**

"She probably wants to call the hot line number," Hermione snorts while Lily grins.

**Harry knew Aunt Petunia would simply love to be the one to call the hot line number. She was the nosiest woman in the world and spent most of her life spying on the boring, law-abiding neighbors. **

"How _did _she get to be so nosy?" James questions, arching his eyebrow at his wife, who only shrugs.

"**When will they **_**learn**_**," said Uncle Vernon, pounding the table with his large purple fist, "that hanging's the only way to deal with these people?" **

"Is not!" Harry snarls, very protective of his godfather, while clenching Sirius' fur.

"**Very true," said Aunt Petunia, who was still squinting into next door's runner-beans.**

**Uncle Vernon drained his teacup, glanced at his watch, and added, "I'd better be off in a minute, Petunia. Marge's train gets in at ten." Harry, whose thoughts had been upstairs with the Broomstick Servicing Kit, was brought back to earth with an unpleasant bump. **

"Awh, would you look at that,"

"He was thinking about the gift Hermione gave him!"

"And in turn, was thinking about Hermione!" The twins smirk, while everyone groans and Harry just laughs, quickly kissing Hermione, making her blush.

"**Aunt Marge?" he blurted out. "Sh-**_**she's **_**not coming here, is she?" **

"Did you just stutter?" James questions, his head inched back into shock.

"Er, yes?" Harry replies, grimacing a little, realizing that everyone will find out about more abuse.

**Aunt Marge was Uncle Vernon's sister. Even though she was not a blood relative of Harry's (whose mother had been Aunt Petunia's sister), he had been forced to call her 'Aunt' all his life. **

"But that's just plain stupid." Malfoy mutters, crossing his arms in annoyance.

**Aunt Marge lived in the country, in a house with a large garden, where she bred bulldogs. **

"She is a bulldog." Someone mutters.

**She didn't often stay at Privet Drive, because she couldn't bear to leave her precious dogs, but each of her visits stood out horribly vividly in Harry's mind. **

"Why?" Lily snarls, her fists clenching while Sirius growls at the book.

**At Dudley's fifth birthday party, Aunt Marge had whacked Harry around the shins with her walking stick to stop him from beating Dudley at musical statues.**

Growls were heard louder, and many people worried for Harry, biting their lips, having had no clue how he truly lived.

**A few years later, she had turned up at Christmas with a computerized robot for Dudley and a box of dog biscuits for Harry.**

"My son is _not_ a dog!" James snarls, while Remus snorts.

"Well, apparently, he is." He grins, while James stops suddenly and bursts out into laughter.

"I'm gonna kill him." James laughs, while Lily smirks.

**On her last visit, the year before Harry started at Hogwarts, Harry had accidentally trodden on the tail of her favorite dog. Ripper had chased Harry out into the garden and up a tree, and Aunt Marge had refused to call him off until past midnight. **

"Why, I oughta." Lily growls.

**The memory of this incident still brought tears of laughter to Dudley's eyes. **

"A bunch of big bullies, they are." James pouts, unimpressed and angry.

"**Marge'll be here for a week," Uncle Vernon snarled, "and while we're on the subject," he pointed a fat finger threateningly at Harry, "we need to get a few things straight before I go and collect her." **

"Put one finger on him, Dursley, and I swear I'll—" James begins, only to stop when Lily pats his shoulder.

**Dudley smirked and withdrew his gaze from the television. Watching Harry being bullied by Uncle Vernon was Dudley's favorite form of entertainment. **

"Of course." Lily snaps while many others glare at the book.

"**Firstly," growled Uncle Vernon, "you'll keep a civil tongue in your head when you're talking to Marge." **

"Fine. As long as she does when she talks to him." Lily snaps.

"**All right," said Harry bitterly, "if she does when she's talking to me." **

"Aha." James states, smirking.

"**Secondly," said Uncle Vernon, acting as though he had not heard Harry's reply, "as Marge doesn't know anything about your **_**abnormality**_**, I don't want any — any **_**funny **_**stuff while she's here. You behave yourself, got me?" **

"Abnormality?" Lily snarls while James says, "He will if she does."

"**I will if she does," said Harry through gritted teeth. **

"Aha," Lily smirks at her husband, who grins back.

"**And thirdly," said Uncle Vernon, his mean little eyes now slits in his great purple face, "we've told Marge you attend St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys." **

"WHAT?" James and Lily yell while Sirius growls and Remus fists clench.

"_**What?" **_**Harry yelled. **

"**And you'll be sticking to that story, boy, or there'll be trouble," spat Uncle Vernon. **

"I really ought to." Lily pouts, her eyes set into a dead glare, unimpressed and angry.

**Harry sat there, white-faced and furious, staring at Uncle Vernon, hardly able to believe it. Aunt Marge coming for a weeklong visit — it was the worst birthday present the Dursleys had ever given him, including that pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. **

"I doubt that they meant it as a gift, dear" Lily says, angry at her sister and yet, sweetly towards Harry himself. Harry smiles lightly, not use to hearing his mother and enjoying it.

"**Well, Petunia," said Uncle Vernon, getting heavily to his feet, "I'll be off to the station, then. Want to come along for the ride, Dudders?" **

"This guy and his horrible nicknames," George snorts, shaking his head.

"**No," said Dudley, whose attention had returned to the television now that Uncle Vernon had finished threatening Harry. **

"How is he even able to get by in schooling?" Hermione questions her eyes wide in confusion.

"He pays his school with bribes." Harry replies, shrugging.

"Of course." Remus snorts.

"**Duddy's got to make himself smart for his auntie," said Aunt Petunia, smoothing Dudley's thick blond hair. "Mummy's bought him a lovely new bow-tie." **

"What is he, five?" Someone else snorts, unbelieving in this kids life.

**Uncle Vernon clapped Dudley on his porky shoulder. "See you in a bit, then," he said, and he left the kitchen. Harry, who had been sitting in a kind of horrified trance, had a sudden idea.**

"Those are never good Harry. We all know this." Hermione sighs slightly, smiling at her boyfriend, who shakes his head.

"My ideas are good. You just never get to see them." He smirks.

**Abandoning his toast, he got quickly to his feet and followed Uncle Vernon to the front door. Uncle Vernon was pulling on his car coat. **

"**I'm not taking **_**you**_**," he snarled as he turned to see Harry watching him. **

"Like he wants you to take him," Ron snarls, furious with the Dursley's all over again.

"**Like I wanted to come," said Harry coldly. "I want to ask you something." **

"What could they possibly answer, Harry. There's no way in Merlin they're smart enough for your questions." Hermione states, her eyes like steel.

**Uncle Vernon eyed him suspiciously. **

"**Third years at Hog — at my school are allowed to visit the village sometimes," said Harry. **

"Harry…. You are truly your father's son!" Lily laughs, clapping her hands.

"Huh?" James questions, still in shock about Sirius, and trying to wrap his mind around his best friend doing something so horrible, he got sent to prison. Lily could only shake her head and snort.

"**So?" snapped Uncle Vernon, taking his car keys from a hook next to the door. **

"**I need you to sign the permission form," said Harry in a rush. **

"But why would he do that, son?" James questions while Remus hits his face with his hand in annoyance.

"JAMES, C'MON MAN." Remus moans while James shrugs. "I'm still trying to get my mind warped around Sirius. In Jail."

"**And why should I do that?" sneered Uncle Vernon. **

"See." James says meekly while Lily looks on.

"We need you to prank someone, love." Lily starts before turning towards Remus, "Got anything new for Snape?" She smirks.

"We need you away from your husband," Remus snorts, shaking his head while Snape glares and Lily laughs.

"**Well," said Harry, choosing his words carefully, "it'll be hard work, pretending to Aunt Marge I go to that St. Whatsits…" **

"Oh. OH. OH. HARRY, YOU ARE MY SON!" James says, his eyes filled with laughter, while everyone else laughs at him.

"**St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys!" bellowed Uncle Vernon, and Harry was pleased to hear a definite note of panic in Uncle Vernon's voice. **

"Anyone would be with that blundering blunderhead." Lily snorts.

"Really? Blundering blunderhead?" Remus laughs.

"**Exactly," said Harry, looking calmly up into Uncle Vernon's large, purple face. "It's a lot to remember. I'll have to make it sound convincing, won't I? What if I accidentally let something slip?" **

"_**You'll get the stuffing knocked out of you, won't you?" **_**roared Uncle Vernon, advancing on Harry with his fist raised. But Harry stood his ground. **

"You better not, Dursley." James growls, his own fist clenched in anger.

"**Knocking the stuffing out of me won't make Aunt Marge forget what I could tell her," he said grimly. **

"Oh, he has your brains, love." James sighs, grinning.

**Uncle Vernon stopped, his fist still raised, his face an ugly puce. **

"**But if you sign my permission form," Harry went on quickly, "I swear I'll remember where I'm supposed to go to school, and I'll act like a Mug — like I'm normal and everything." **

"You really need to stop letting certain words slip, mate." George frowns, his head tilted.

**Harry could tell that Uncle Vernon was thinking it over, even if his teeth were bared and a vein was throbbing in his temple. **

"How attractive." Someone mutters.

"**Right," he snapped finally. "I shall monitor your behavior carefully during Marge's visit. If, at the end of it, you've toed the line and kept to the story, I'll sign your ruddy form." **

"Oh please. You should sign it now." James mutters, annoyed with the book already.

**He wheeled around, pulled open the front door, and slammed it so hard that one of the little panes of glass at the top fell out. **

"Sure it wasn't his weight?" A slytherin mutters, rolling his eyes.

**Harry didn't return to the kitchen. He went back upstairs to his bedroom. If he was going to act like a real Muggle, he' better start now. Slowly and sadly he gathered up all his presents and his birthday cards and hid them under the loose floorboard with his homework. **

"Oh, a loose floorboard. Very clever." James grins while Lily nods.

"We already know this, though." Remus mutters.

**Then he went to Hedwig's cage. Errol seemed to have recovered; he and Hedwig were both asleep, heads under their wings. Harry sighed, then poked them both awake. **

"They will not like that." Lily mutters.

"**Hedwig," he said gloomily, "you're going to have to clear off for a week. Go with Errol. Ron'll look after you. I'll write him a note, explaining. And don't look at me like that" — Hedwig's large amber eyes were reproachful — "it's not my fault. It's the only way I'll be allowed to visit Hogsmeade with Ron and Hermione." **

"Oh, this is not going so well, is it?" Ginny mutters, crossing her own arms across her chest.

**Ten minutes later, Errol and Hedwig (who had a note to Ron bound to her leg) soared out of the window and out of sight. Harry, now feeling thoroughly miserable, put the empty cage away inside the wardrobe. **

"Poor kiddo." Hagrid states, sighing. Many people nod their heads while Harry just sighs, thinking about how slow this chapter is seemingly going.

**But Harry didn't have long to brood. In next to no time, Aunt Petunia was shrieking up the stairs for Harry to come down and get ready to welcome their guest. **

"Why should he welcome the bit—"

"GEORGE WEASLEY." Molly shouts while Ginny laughs and Bill smirks at Charlie.

"**Do something about your hair!" Aunt Petunia snapped as he reached the hall. **

"I'm pretty sure that's common knowledge." Lavendar sighs, shaking her head.

**Harry couldn't see the point of trying to make his hair lie flat. Aunt Marge loved criticizing him, so the untidier he looked, the happier she would be. **

"Bitch," Lily snarls, while Molly looks up in surprise, opening and closing her mouth while doing so.

**All too soon, there was a crunch of gravel outside as Uncle Vernon's car pulled back into the driveway, then the clunk of the car doors and footsteps on the garden path. **

"**Get the door!" Aunt Petunia hissed at Harry. **

"He isn't your butler!" Cho hisses.

**A feeling of great gloom in his stomach, Harry pulled the door open. On the threshold stood Aunt Marge.**

"Dunh dunh dunh!" Someone interrupts, causing many people to laugh and some to look in confusion.

**She was very like Uncle Vernon: large, beefy, and purple-faced, she even had a mustache, though not as bushy as his. **

Many people laughed at this, while Harry smirked at his opinion.

**In one hand she held an enormous suitcase, and tucked under the other was an old and evil-tempered bulldog. **

"Please tell me it's not the dog that made you go up that tree." James groans while Harry grimaces.

"**Where's my Dudders?" roared Aunt Marge. "Where's my neffy poo?" **

"Did she just—"

"Yes Fred, I believe she did," George snorts while Charlie laughs.

"We need an award for these names."

**Dudley came waddling down the hall, his blond hair plastered flat to his fat head, a bow tie just visible under his many chins. Aunt Marge thrust the suitcase into Harry's stomach, knocking the wind out of him, seized Dudley in a tight one-armed hug, and planted a large kiss on his cheek. **

"One, ew." Hermione begins, "And secondly, how dare you hurt Harry!" She snarls, clenching his hand in hers, making him hiss in pain.

"Ow, ow, 'Mione, let go. Ow, shit, Hermione!"

"Oh," She lets go of his hand, "Sorry dear."

**Harry knew perfectly well that Dudley only put up with Aunt Marge's hugs because he was well paid for it, and sure enough, when they broke apart, Dudley had a crisp twenty-pound note clutched in his fat fist. **

"Of bloody course." Lily states, rolling her eyes.

"**Petunia!" shouted Aunt Marge, striding past Harry as though he was a hat-stand. Aunt Marge and Aunt Petunia kissed, or rather, Aunt Marge bumped her large jaw against Aunt Petunias bony cheekbone. **

Lily snorted, shaking her head.

**Uncle Vernon now came in, smiling jovially as he shut the door. **

"I bet he's bigger than Santa." A muggle born states, while many people laugh.

"**Tea, Marge?" he said. "And what will Ripper take?" **

"**Ripper can have some tea out of my saucer," said Aunt Marge as they all proceeded into the kitchen, leaving Harry alone in the hall with the suitcase. But Harry wasn't complaining; any excuse not to be with Aunt Marge was fine by him, so he began to heave the case upstairs into the spare bedroom, taking as long as he could. **

"Atta boy!" James smiles lightly, not feeling the mood.

**By the time he got back to the kitchen, Aunt Marge had been supplied with tea and fruitcake, and Ripper was lapping noisily in the corner. Harry saw Aunt Petunia wince slightly as specks of tea and drool flecked her clean floor. Aunt Petunia hated animals. **

"She didn't always," Lily looks on in confusion, her face scrunched up to show it.

"**Who's looking after the other dogs, Marge?" Uncle Vernon asked. **

"**Oh, I've got Colonel Fubster managing them," boomed Aunt Marge. "He's retired now, good for him to have something to do. But I couldn't leave poor old Ripper. He pines if he's away from me." **

"Probably the only thing, at that."

**Ripper began to growl again as Harry sat down. This directed Aunt Marge's attention to Harry for the first time. **

"Of course." Lily sighs.

"**So!" she barked. "Still here, are you?" **

"Shut it, broad." Lily glares, growling slightly.

"**Yes," said Harry. **

"**Don't you say 'yes' in that ungrateful tone," Aunt Marge growled.**

"Oh, please." James snorts.

"**It's damn good of Vernon and Petunia to keep you. Wouldn't have done it myself. You'd have gone straight to an orphanage if you'd been dumped on **_**my **_**doorstep." **

"And I'm sure he would rather be placed in an orphanage instead of living with that lot." Ron snarled.

**Harry was bursting to say that he'd rather live in an orphanage than with the Dursleys, but the thought of the Hogsmeade form stopped him. He forced his face into a painful smile. **

"**Don't you smirk at me!" boomed Aunt Marge. **

"Wow, you're really daft, aren't you?" Lee Jordan states, kicking his legs forward.

"**I can see you haven't improved since I last saw you. I hoped school would knock some manners into you." She took a large gulp of tea, wiped her mustache, and said, "Where is it that you send him, again, Vernon?" **

"**St. Brutus's," said Uncle Vernon promptly. "It's a first-rate institution for hopeless cases." **

"My son is _not _a hopeless case." James states, his voice barely a whisper.

"**I see," said Aunt Marge. "Do they use the cane at St. Brutus's, boy?" she barked across the table. **

"They better not!" Lily replied, affronted.

"Lils, love, he doesn't actually go to—"

"I know that!" Lily snaps, still aggravated at the family.

"**Er —" **

**Uncle Vernon nodded curtly behind Aunt Marge's back. **

"**Yes," said Harry. Then, feeling he might as well do the thing properly, he added, "All the time." **

"You're too well behaved for a cane!" Lily says, sitting straighter.

"Right. And Potter's grown up," Snape drawls while Remus smirks as Lily says, "He has. You, obviously, have not."

"**Excellent," said Aunt Marge. "I won't have this namby-pamby, wishy-washy nonsense about not hitting people who deserve it. A good thrashing is what's needed in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred. Have **_**you **_**been beaten often?" **

"**Oh, yeah," said Harry, "loads of times."**

James could be heard growling and many people rolled their eyes at the book.

**Aunt Marge narrowed her eyes. "I still don't like your tone, boy," she said. "If you can speak of your beatings in that casual way, they clearly aren't hitting you hard enough. Petunia, I'd write if I were you. Make it clear that you approve the use of extreme force in this boy's case." **

"If she does, I swear on Merlin's grave I will,"

"Lily, we know. You'll kill her." James interrupts, looking over at Sirius and sighing.

**Perhaps Uncle Vernon was worried that Harry might forget their bargain; in any case, he changed the subject abruptly. **

"I doubt Harry would forget that agreement."

"**Heard the news this morning, Marge? What about that escaped prisoner, eh?" **

"What's so important about it?" James grumbles, not wanting to put two and two together.

**As Aunt Marge started to make herself at home, Harry caught himself thinking almost longingly of life at number four without her.**

"Reminds me of Siri's family." Lily mutters, looking towards the animal in question with a worried look on her face.

**Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia usually encouraged Harry to stay out of their way, which Harry was only too happy to do. Aunt Marge, on the other hand, wanted Harry under her eye at all times, so that she could boom out suggestions for his improvement.**

"Like he needs improvement," Ginny mutters while Neville sighs and looks at her longingly.

**She delighted in comparing Harry with Dudley, and took huge pleasure in buying Dudley expensive presents while glaring at Harry, as though daring him to ask why he hadn't got a present too. She also kept throwing out dark hints about what made Harry such an unsatisfactory person. **

Lily could be heard growling and James snarling and Sirius was seen glaring at the book and then at Pettigrew, which many people looked on in confusion at.

"**You mustn't blame yourself for the way the boy's turned out, Vernon," she said over lunch on the third day. "If there's something rotten on the **_**inside**_**, there's nothing anyone can do about it." **

"There's nothing rotten about my boy." James snarls.

**Harry tried to concentrate on his food, but his hands shook and his face was starting to burn with anger. **_**Remember the form, **_**he told himself. **_**Think about Hogsmeade. Don't say anything. Don't rise — **_

"Atta boy." Lily said.

**Aunt Marge reached for her glass of wine. **

"**It's one of the basic rules of breeding," she said.**

"You better not be going where I think you're going." James says, his voice quiet and his wand sparking alongside his anger.

"**You see it all the time with dogs. If there's something wrong with the bitch, there'll be something wrong with the pup —" **

James could be heard growling in anger while Lily tried to calm him down, and Sirius, who had noticed that Harry had also gotten worked up all over again about it nudged him gently and licked his hand a few times.

**At that moment, the wineglass Aunt Marge was holding exploded in her hand. Shards of glass flew in every direction and Aunt Marge sputtered and blinked, her great ruddy face dripping. **

"**Marge!" squealed Aunt Petunia. "Marge, are you all right?" **

"Aren't you a little too old for accidental magic?" James questions, his eyes going wide in surprise while Lily pauses in her soft tones.

"**Not to worry," grunted Aunt Marge, mopping her face with her napkin. "Must have squeezed it too hard. Did the same thing at Colonel Fubster's the other day. No need to fuss, Petunia, I have a very firm grip…" **

"Please let them believe that poppycock." James mutters, looking skyward.

**But Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were both looking at Harry suspiciously, so he decided he'd better skip dessert and escape from the table as soon as he could. **

"Harry," Lily laughed, shaking her head, "You need every part of a meal, especially dessert."

**Outside in the hall, he leaned against the wall, breathing deeply. It had been a long time since he'd lost control and made something explode. He couldn't afford to let it happen again. The Hogsmeade form wasn't the only thing at stake — if he carried on like that, he'd be in trouble with the Ministry of Magic. **

"Surely not!" Amelia interrupts, looking aghast while Umbridge nods her head reverently.

**Harry was still an underage wizard, and he was forbidden by wizard law to do magic outside school. His record wasn't exactly clean either. Only last summer he'd gotten an official warning that had stated quite clearly that if the Ministry got wind of any more magic in Privet Drive, Harry would face expulsion from Hogwarts. **

"We really need to strike that from your record," Amelia whispers, frowning slightly.

**He heard the Dursleys leaving the table and hurried upstairs out of the way. **

**Harry got through the next three days by forcing himself to think about his **_**Handbook of Do-It-Yourself Broomcare **_**whenever Aunt Marge started on him. **

"Aw, your book helped him." Ginny coos, while many people look surprised at her, Ginny herself included, with her eyes wide and her mouth in an open 'o'.

**This worked quite well, though it seemed to give him a glazed look, because Aunt Marge started voicing the opinion that he was mentally subnormal. **

"He's very normal in the mental capacity, thank you very much," Minerva interrupts, her mouth thinning.

"Indeed, he is." Pomfrey agrees smiling at the young man, who blushes.

**At last, at long last, the final evening of Marge's stay arrived. **

"WHOO-HOOOO!" Many people scream, causing Harry to jump in surprise and wince slightly.

**Aunt Petunia cooked a fancy dinner and Uncle Vernon uncorked several bottles of wine. **

"They're gonna get drunkkkk!" A first year muggle born sing songs, while many others laugh at her.

**They got all the way through the soup and the salmon without a single mention of Harry's faults; during the lemon meringue pie, Uncle Vernon bored them a with a long talk about Grunnings, his drill-making company; then Aunt Petunia made coffee and Uncle Vernon brought out a bottle of brandy. **

"More like wasted," An older muggle born snorts, shaking their head in disgust.

"**Can I tempt you, Marge?" **

"It sounds so dirty when he says 'can I tempt you." Someone interrupts, laughing.

"What do you mean?" Ginny questions, her eyebrows arched.

"Well, Ginny," George begins.

"When a man and or women wants someone sexually,"

"And is not getting said person interested in them—"

"Said man or women tries to tempt the other person."

"Into what?" Ginny questions, arching her head.

"Having s—"

"FRED WEASLEY." Molly interrupts, while many others laugh and Ginny's eyes widen.

**Aunt Marge had already had quite a lot of wine. Her huge face was very red. **

"Incredibly attractive," Remus snorts.

"**Just a small one, then," she chuckled. "A bit more than that… and a bit more… that's the ticket." **

"What a drunk!" Lily snorts back, disgusted.

**Dudley was eating his fourth slice of pie. Aunt Petunia was sipping coffee with her little finger sticking out. Harry really wanted to disappear into his bedroom, but he met Uncle Vernon's angry little eyes and knew he would have to sit it out. **

"**Aah," said Aunt Marge, smacking her lips and putting the empty brandy glass back down. "Excellent nosh, Petunia. It's normally just a fry-up for me of an evening, with twelve dogs to look after…" She burped richly and patted her great tweed stomach. "Pardon me. But I do like to see a healthy-sized boy," she went on, winking at Dudley. "You'll be a proper-sized man, Dudders, like your father. Yes, I'll have a spot more brandy, Vernon…" **

"A proper sized man?" Someone snorts.

"More like a proper sized walrus." Harry mutters, rolling his eyes.

"**Now, this one here —" **

**She jerked her head at Harry, who felt his stomach clench.**

James and Lily could both be heard growling while Sirius snarled before licking Harry's hand and lying down.

_**The Handbook**_**, he thought quickly. **

"**This one's got a mean, runty look about him. You get that with dogs. I had Colonel Fubster drown one last year. Ratty little thing it was. Weak. Underbred." **

"You drowned a poor puppy?" Lily gasped, tears filling her eyes, having always loved animals.

**Harry was trying to remember page twelve of his book: **_**A Charm to Cure Reluctant Reversers.**_

"**It all comes down to blood, as I was saying the other day. Bad blood will out. Now, I'm saying nothing against your family, Petunia" — **

"No, of course not." James snarls, his fists clenched in pure anger and hatred.

- **she patted Aunt Petunia's bony hand with her shovel-like one "but your sister was a bad egg. They turn up in the best families. Then she ran off with a wastrel and here's the result right in front of us."**

James could be heard growling while holding Lily and Lily could be seen glaring but many people continued looking at the book, trying not to look at Pettigrew, who had kept flinching.

**Harry was staring at his plate, a funny ringing in his ears. **_**Grasp your broom firmly by the tail**_**, he thought. But he couldn't remember what came next. Aunt Marge's voice seemed to be boring into him like one of Uncle Vernon's drills. **

"Not good." Hermione whispers.

"Why?"

"Harry's anger. Not pleasant." Hermione replies, grimacing, "You'll find out much more in this year's book, no doubt." Ron finishes, while Harry's eyes go wide and he gulps.

"**This Potter," said Aunt Marge loudly, seizing the brandy bottle and splashing more into her glass and over the tablecloth, "you never told me what he did?" **

**Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were looking extremely tense. Dudley had even looked up from his pie to gape at his parents. **

"This cannot be good." Lily mutters, putting her head in her hands.

"**He — didn't work," said Uncle Vernon, with half a glance at Harry. "Unemployed."**

"I was not unemployed." James mutters, crossing his arms against his chest whilst pouting slightly.

"**As I expected!" said Aunt Marge, taking a huge swig of brandy and wiping her chin on her sleeve. "A no-account, good-for-nothing, lazy scrounger who —" **

"Finish that sentence, I dare you." Lily snarls angry.

"**He was not," said Harry suddenly. The table went very quiet. Harry was shaking all over. He had never felt so angry in his life. **

"Just wait a few more years, mate." Ron snorts while Harry blushes.

"**MORE BRANDY!" yelled Uncle Vernon, who had gone very white.**

"The guy is like a rainbow. He goes red, purple, white. Has he gone blue, yet?" Neville snorted, while many people looked at him, not use to him being so outgoing and funny.

**He emptied the bottle into Aunt Marge's glass. "You, boy," he snarled at Harry. "Go to bed, go on —" **

"Yes, like she's going to let him do that." James snorts, before coughing into his shoulder, which causes Lily to look at him in worry.

"**No, Vernon," hiccupped Aunt Marge, holding up a hand, her tiny bloodshot eyes fixed on Harry's. **

"I swear to Merlin," Lily mutters, rolling her eyes while James continues to cough.

"What in the bloody name of Merlin is wrong with you?" She questions while James can only shrug, having not needed to cough since before he died.

"**Go on, boy, go on. Proud of your parents, are you? They go and get themselves killed in a car crash (drunk, I expect) —" **

"We did not die in a car crash and I would never be idiotic enough to put my family's life in danger." James snaps, slamming his fist down onto the table.

"**They didn't die in a car crash!" said Harry, who found himself on his feet.**

"An early look at the Potter anger!" Ron snorts, shaking his head while Harry laughs awkwardly.

"**They died in a car crash, you nasty little liar, and left you to be a burden on their decent, hardworking relatives!" screamed Aunt Marge, swelling with fury. "You are an insolent, ungrateful little —" **

"HE'S NOT A BURDEN!" Hermione screeched, standing up in anger while Harry tries to calm her down, with Lily growling and glaring at the book.

"Is she mad?" Pettigrew mutters making Harry glare at him.

**But Aunt Marge suddenly stopped speaking. For a moment, it looked as though words had failed her.**

"Huh. Wonder why." James states, curious.

**She seemed to be swelling with inexpressible anger — but the swelling didn't stop.**

"Whaaa?" Lily states, her eyes arching in humor.

**Her great red face started to expand, her tiny eyes bulged, and her mouth stretched too tightly for speech — next second, several buttons had just burst from her tweed jacket and pinged off the walls — she was inflating like a monstrous balloon, her stomach bursting free of her tweed waistband, each of her fingers blowing up like a salami…**

After a few moments of silence, everyone burst out into laughter, the whole hall erupting, minus for a few ministry workers. The noise was so loud that it could be heard from outside, and was mixed with barking from the dark, laughter from the students and the professors, and it wasn't until minutes later that the noise had finally calmed down enough for someone to speak.

"My son. My son just blew up, oh wow." Lily gasped, clutching her sides while James guffawed and tried to drink some water.

"**MARGE!" yelled Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia together as Aunt Marge's whole body began to rise off her chair toward the ceiling. She was entirely round, now, like a vast life buoy with piggy eyes, and her hands and feet stuck out weirdly as she drifted up into the air, making apoplectic popping noises. Ripper came skidding into the room, barking madly. **

"What an image." James snorts, continuing to laugh.

"**NOOOOOOO!"**

**Uncle Vernon seized one of Marge's feet and tried to pull her down again, but was almost lifted from the floor himself. **

"Oh wow." Lily snorts, her eyes wide in surprise.

**A second later, Ripper leapt forward and sank his teeth into Uncle Vernon's leg. **

"WHOO-HOO!" Some people shouted.

**Harry tore from the dining room before anyone could stop him, heading for the cupboard under the stairs. The cupboard door burst magically open as he reached it. In seconds, he had heaved his trunk to the front door. He sprinted upstairs and threw himself under the bed, wrenching up the loose floorboard, and grabbed the pillowcase full of his books and birthday presents. He wriggled out, seized Hedwig's empty cage, and dashed back downstairs to his trunk, just as Uncle Vernon burst out of the dining room, his trouser leg in bloody tatters. **

"He deserves it, no doubt."

"**COME BACK IN HERE!" he bellowed. "COME BACK AND PUT HER RIGHT!"**

"She doesn't deserve to be put right," James bellows, his fists clenched.

**But a reckless rage had come over Harry. He kicked his trunk open, pulled out his wand, and pointed it at Uncle Vernon. **

"HARRY-JAMES-SIRIUS." James bellows once more, not wanting his son to get into danger.

"**She deserved it," Harry said, breathing very fast. "She deserved what she got. You keep away from me." **

**He fumbled behind him for the latch on the door.**

"Holy shit, he's running away." Lily moans.

"**I'm going," Harry said. "I've had enough." **

**And in the next moment, he was out in the dark, quiet street, heaving his heavy trunk behind him, Hedwig's cage under his arm.**

Narcissa stopped reading before putting the book down and letting it float over to Minerva, who grabbed it and sighed, wondering what the next chapter was going to be.


	42. Chapter 42

**CHAPTER THREE, The Knight Bus **

"Eugh, anything but that wretched bus." Lily groans, shaking her head.

"Worst wizarding transportation ever." James mutters, grimacing.

**Harry was several streets away before he collapsed onto a low wall in Magnolia Crescent, panting from the effort of dragging his trunk. **

"You're a Quidditch player, son. You shouldn't be panting from that alone." James smirks, arching an eyebrow while Harry grins and shrugs.

**He sat quite still, anger still surging through him, listening to the frantic thumping of his heart. But after ten minutes alone in the dark street, a new emotion overtook him: panic. **

"You actually panicked?" Ron questions, while Harry just nods his head and slumps down, remembering that day very well.

**Whichever way he looked at it, he had never been in a worse fix. He was stranded, quite alone, in the dark Muggle world, with absolutely nowhere to go.**

"Well, I'm sure… surely you could… uhm," James stutters, biting his lip, feeling worried over his son being alone.

**And the worst of it was, he had just done serious magic, which meant that he was almost certainly expelled from Hogwarts. **

"Would you actually get expelled from accidental magic like that?" James questions, biting his lip in thought.

"I don't know." Amelia states, writing it down.

**He had broken the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry so badly, he was surprised Ministry of Magic representatives weren't swooping down on him where he sat.**

"He's really dramatic, isn't he love?" James snorts, smirking while Lily giggles.

**Harry shivered and looked up and down Magnolia Crescent. What, was going to happen to him? Would he be arrested, or would he simply be outlawed from the wizarding world?**

"Okay, really dramatic." Remus laughs while James snorts and Lily continues to giggle.

**He thought of Ron and Hermione, and his heart sank even lower. Harry was sure that, criminal or not, Ron and Hermione would want to help him now, but they were both abroad, and with Hedwig gone, he had no means of contacting them. **

"Well, you're surely in a pickle." Lily laughs, clapping.

"Oh god, I hate that saying." James snorts while Lily slaps his shoulder playfully.

**He didn't have any Muggle money, either. There was a little wizard gold in the money bag at the bottom of his trunk, but the rest of the fortune his parents had left him was stored in a vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank in London.**

"There's so much we have to teach him, Lily-flower." James sighs, shaking his head and putting his chin in his hand, watching his wife nod in agreement.

**He'd never be able to drag his trunk all the way to London. Unless… **

"Please not another plan." Fred interrupts, smirking while Harry sighs, not understanding what's so wrong with his plans.

**He looked down at his wand, which he was still clutching in his hand. If he was already expelled (his heart was now thumping painfully fast), a bit more magic couldn't hurt.**

"It probably could, actually." James snorts, knowing the life of a Potter's luck.

**He had the Invisibility Cloak he had inherited from his father — what if he bewitched the trunk to make it feather-light, tied it to his broomstick, covered himself in the cloak, and flew to London?**

"Why do you have such good plans when you're not at school?" Luna questions, while everyone else stares at her in shock, forgetting that she was even there.

**Then he could get the rest of his money out of his vault and… begin his life as an outcast. It was a horrible prospect, but he couldn't sit on this wall forever, or he'd find himself trying to explain to Muggle police why he was out in the dead of night with a trunk full of spell books and a broomstick. **

"They'd think I was crazy." Harry snorts, before turning it into giggles, causing everyone to look at him and try not to laugh.

**Harry opened his trunk again and pushed the contents aside, looking for the Invisibility Cloak — but before he had found it, he straightened up suddenly, looking around him once more. **

"Good instincts Potter." Mad-Eye snaps, walking back and forth between couches, watching everyone and everything.

**A funny prickling on the back of his neck had made Harry feel he was being watched, but the street appeared to be deserted, and no lights shone from any of the large square houses. **

**He bent over his trunk again, but almost immediately stood up once more, his hand clenched on his wand.**

"What's making you feel funny?" James mutters, scrunching up his face in confusion.

**He had sensed rather than heard it: someone or something was standing in the narrow gap between the garage and the fence behind him. Harry squinted at the black alleyway. If only it would move, then he'd know whether it was just a stray cat or — something else. **

"Definitely wasn't a stray cat," Harry snorts, petting Sirius' fur, smiling as Sirius barks.

"_**Lumos**_**," Harry muttered, and a light appeared at the end of his wand, almost dazzling him. He held it high over his head, and the pebble-dashed walls of number two suddenly sparkled; the garage door gleamed, and between them Harry saw, quite distinctly, the hulking outline of something very big, with wide, gleaming eyes. **

"What is it?" Colin mutters, his eyes wide, his fingers playing with his camera.

**Harry stepped backward. His legs hit his trunk and he tripped. His wand flew out of his hand as he flung out an arm to break his fall, and he landed, hard, in the gutter.**

"So that's how he calls up the bus, then." James snorts while Lily grins.

**There was a deafening BANG, and Harry threw up his hands to shield his eyes against a sudden blinding light… **

"It is pretty bright." Someone mutters.

**With a yell, he rolled back onto the pavement, just in time. A second later, a gigantic pair of wheels and headlights screeched to a halt exactly where Harry had just been lying. **

"That's a little bloody frightful." Lily gasps, her eyes wide and filled with worry.

**They belonged, as Harry saw when he raised his head, to a triple-decker, violently purple bus, which had appeared out of thin air. Gold lettering over the windshield spelled **_**The Knight Bus**_**. For a split second, Harry wondered if he had been knocked silly by his fall. Then a conductor in a purple uniform leapt out of the bus and began to speak loudly to the night. **

"**Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this eve—" **

"Who says eve?" James snorts while Lily rolls her eyes.

"Let Minnie finish, Jamie-poo." She smirks, while James blushes and everyone laughs.

**The conductor stopped abruptly. He had just caught sight of Harry, who was still sitting on the ground. Harry snatched up his wand again and scrambled to his feet. Close up, he saw that Stan Shunpike was only a few years older than he was, eighteen or nineteen at most, with large, protruding ears and quite a few pimples. **

"How attractive." Snape snarls while James smirks.

"Didn't know you thought men were attractive, Severus." He interrupts, trying not to laugh as Snape glares at him.

"**What were you doin' down there?" said Stan, dropping his professional manner. **

"**Fell over," said Harry. **

"'**Choo fall over for?" sniggered Stan. **

"What, do you think he meant to fall over?" James interrupts, rolling his eyes while Lily laughs.

"**I didn't do it on purpose," said Harry, annoyed. **

"So much like father, like son." Lily laughs, holding her sides.

**One of the knees in his jeans was torn, and the hand he had thrown out to break his fall was bleeding. He suddenly remembered why he had fallen over and turned around quickly to stare at the alleyway between the garage and fence. The Knight Bus's headlamps were flooding it with light, and it was empty. **

"'**Choo lookin' at?" said Stan. **

"A blank freaking wall, you idjit." James sighs, continuing to roll his eyes.

"**There was a big black thing," said Harry, pointing uncertainly into the gap. "Like a dog… but massive…" He looked around at Stan, whose mouth was slightly open. With a feeling of unease, Harry saw Stan's eyes move to the scar on Harry's forehead. **

"Ugh, I hate that." Harry mutters, flattening his hair when many people turn to look at him.

"**Woss that on your 'ead?" said Stan abruptly. **

"**Nothing," said Harry quickly, flattening his hair over his scar. If the Ministry of Magic was looking for him, he didn't want to make it too easy for them. **

"That's actually pretty clever." Mad-eye grumbles, while Lily smiles slight.

"**Woss your name?" Stan persisted. **

"Why is your English so damn bad?" James groans, wincing every time the teen speaks.

"**Neville Longbottom," said Harry, saying the first name that came into his head.**

"Are you serious?" Lily snorts, before her eyes widen at the look on Neville's face, "No, nothing against you, Neville dear. I just find it funny that Harry won't say his real name, even though it's probably going to get mentioned sooner or later." She finishes, while Neville nods and his blush lightens.

"**So — so this bus," he went on quickly, hoping to distract Stan, "did you say it goes **_**anywhere**_**?" **

"**Yep," said Stan proudly, "anywhere you like, 'long it's on land. Can't do nuffink underwater. **

"**Ere," he said, looking suspicious again, "you **_**did **_**flag us down, dincha? Stuck out your wand 'and, dincha?" **

"I am getting a headache." James sighs, rubbing his temples while Lily giggles lightly before kissing James.

"**Yes," said Harry quickly. "Listen, how much would it be to get to London?" **

"**Eleven Sickles," said Stan, "but for firteen you get 'ot chocolate, and for fifteen you get an 'ot-water bottle an' a toofbrush in the color of your choice." **

"And for seventeen, we can get you to speak proper English!" James mutters while Lily begins stroking his back to try and calm him down.

**Harry rummaged once more in his trunk, extracted his money bag, and shoved some gold into Stan's hand. He and Stan then lifted his trunk, with Hedwig's cage balanced on top, up the steps of the bus. **

**There were no seats; **

"How is he s'pose to sit down, then?" A muggleborn fifth year questions, in the Hufflepuff house, while many others nod their head in agreement.

- **instead, half a dozen brass bedsteads stood beside the curtained windows.**

"A bed on a bus?" The same person interrupts, her eyes wide.

"Many beds on a bus." Harry states, nodding his head, feeling queasy all over again about the Knight Bus.

**Candles were burning in brackets beside each bed, illuminating the wood-paneled walls. A tiny wizard in a nightcap at the rear of the bus muttered, "Not now, thanks, I'm pickling some slugs" and rolled over in his sleep. **

"**You 'ave this one," Stan whispered, shoving Harry's trunk under the bed right behind the driver, who was sitting in an armchair in front of the steering wheel. "This is our driver, Ernie Prang. This is Neville Longbottom, Ern." **

**Ernie Prang, an elderly wizard wearing very thick glasses, nodded to Harry, who nervously flattened his bangs again and sat down on his bed. **

"You really don't like your scar anymore, d'ya Harry?" Seamus interrupts, while Harry nods quickly, remembering what he talked about on the Knight Bus and looking towards his parents, knowing that this was going to be the first time they heard about Sirius was believed to have done.

"**Take'er away, Ern," said Stan, sitting down in the armchair next to Ernie's. **

"Yeah, take'er away, Ern." Ron laughs, while Harry grins and shakes his head.

**There was another tremendous BANG, and the next moment Harry found himself flat on his bed, thrown backward by the speed of the Knight Bus.**

Many people who had never heard of the bus could be seen with their eyes widening, surprised that the bus could be speeding that much, and not wanting to experience it themselves.

**Pulling himself up, Harry stared out of the dark window and saw that they were now bowling along a completely different street. Stan was watching Harry's stunned face with great enjoyment. **

"**This is where we was before you flagged us down," he said. "Where are we, Ern? Somewhere in Wales?" **

"Wow. That's—" Cho started only to have Viktor, who everyone had forgotten about, interrupt.

"Scary."

"**Ar," said Ernie. **

"**How come the Muggles don't hear the bus?" said Harry. **

"A very valid question. Do you think maybe we should have a wizarding course for muggles?" Minerva interrupts herself, biting her lip while looking towards Amelia, who nods slightly while Dolores flushes with anger.

"Now wait—" She starts, only to get stopped by Minerva continuing to read.

"**Them!" said Stan contemptuously. "Don' listen properly, do they? Don' look properly either. Never notice nuffink, they don'." **

"Like your grammar?" James snaps, while Lily looks at him curiously. He doesn't usually act this way, and the fact that he's getting headaches, which you don't get when you're dead, is definitely interesting.

"**Best go wake up Madam Marsh, Stan," said Ern. "We'll be in Abergavenny in a minute." **

**Stan passed Harry's bed and disappeared up a narrow wooden staircase. Harry was still looking out of the window, feeling increasingly nervous.**

"Harry, I'm sure you have nothing to worry about," Hannah Abbot placated, while Harry smiled slightly.

**Ernie didn't seem to have mastered the use of a steering wheel. The Knight Bus kept mounting the pavement, but it didn't hit anything; lines of lampposts, mailboxes, and trash cans jumped out of its way as it approached and back into position once it had passed. **

**Stan came back downstairs, followed by a faintly green witch wrapped in a traveling cloak.**

"'**Ere you go, Madam Marsh," said Stan happily as Ern stamped on the brake and the beds slid a foot or so toward the front of the bus. Madam Marsh clamped a handkerchief to her mouth and tottered down the steps. Stan threw her bag out after her and rammed the doors shut; there was another loud BANG, and they were thundering down a narrow country lane, trees leaping out of the way. **

"Way to treat a person's belongings." Severus snorts, while many people look at him in surprise.

**Harry wouldn't have been able to sleep even if he had been traveling on a bus that didn't keep banging loudly and jumping a hundred miles at a time. **

"Yeah, that would be hard." Someone mutters, with others nodding their heads.

**His stomach churned as he fell back to wondering what was going to happen to him, and whether the Dursleys had managed to get Aunt Marge off the ceiling yet. **

"Probably nothing, and probably have, yes." Someone replied.

**Stan had unfurled a copy of the **_**Daily Prophet **_**and was now reading with his tongue between his teeth. **

Harry could begin to feel his stomach clench and he grasped Sirius' fur in warning.

**A large photograph of a sunken-faced man with long, matted hair blinked slowly at Harry from the front page. **

"That's attractive," James snorts, laughing at the imagery that provided.

**He looked strangely familiar. **

"Why thought?" James interrupted, wrinkling his nose while Lily looked towards Sirius, bit her lip and whispered, "Oh," causing James to look at her in more confusion.

"**That man!" Harry said, forgetting his troubles for a moment. "He was on the Muggle news!" **

**Stanley turned to the front page and chuckled. **

"Uh, not this again," James groans, getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"**Sirius Black," he said, nodding.**

"Oh god. I'm gonna b'sck." James says before Lily conjures up a metal bucket and suddenly, he's vomiting in the bucket and many people grimace while Lily looks at Sirius, still biting his lip.

"Why was he in jail." James groans, his head near the bucket.

"'**Course 'e was on the Muggle news, Neville. Where you been?" **

James remained quiet, seemingly still sick in appearance.

**He gave a superior sort of chuckle at the blank look on Harry's face, removed the front page, and handed it to Harry. **

"**You oughta read the papers more, Neville." Harry held the paper up to the candlelight and read: **

_**BLACK STILL AT LARGE **_

James can be heard groaning, while Harry bites his lip.

_**Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today. **_

"Oh Merlin." James groans, looking at Sirius with sad eyes, causing the man to whimper in his dog form and Amelia to arch her eyebrow, her suspicions confirmed, apparently.

"_**We are doing all we can to recapture Black," said the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this morning, "and we beg the magical community to remain calm." **_

_**Fudge has been criticized by some members of the International Federation of Warlocks for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis. **_

"_**Well, really, I had to, don't you know," said an irritable Fudge. "Black is mad. He's a danger to anyone who crosses him, magic or Muggle. I have the Prime Minister's assurance that he will not breathe a word of Black's true identity to anyone. And let's face it — who'd believe him if he did?" **_

"He's not maaad." James moans, clutching his stomach.

_**While Muggles have been told that Black is carrying a gun (a kind of metal wand that Muggles use to kill each other), the magical community lives in fear of a massacre like that of twelve years ago, when Black murdered thirteen people with a single curse. **_

"WHAT?!" James whisper shouts, his eyes wide, the sick feeling in his stomach returning at full throttle.

**Harry looked into the shadowed eyes of Sirius Black, the only part of the sunken face that seemed alive. **

"Oh Merlin," Lily whispers, whimpering slightly.

**Harry had never met a vampire, but he had seen pictures of them in his Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, and Black, with his waxy white skin, looked just like one.**

"Sorry," Harry whispers when Sirius snorts.

"**Scary-lookin' fing, inee?" said Stan, who had been watching Harry read. **

"**He murdered **_**thirteen people**_**?" said Harry, handing the page back to Stan, "with **_**one curse**_**?" **

"I- I- just… what… how?... shouldn't Peter be the one in jail?" James whispers furiously, his fists clenching in his anger. Amelia, having heard this, cocks her head to the side.

"**Yep," said Stan, "in front of witnesses an' all. Broad daylight. Big trouble it caused, dinnit, Ern?" **

"**Ar," said Ern darkly. Stan swiveled in his armchair, his hands on the back, the better to look at Harry. **

"**Black woz a big supporter of You-Know-'Oo," he said. **

"NO HE WASN'T," James shouts, standing up suddenly, causing everyone to look at him in surprise.

"**What, Voldemort?" said Harry, without thinking. **

"Not the best thing to say, mate." Ron grimaces, knowing the reaction already.

**Even Stan's pimples went white; Ern jerked the steering wheel so hard that a whole farmhouse had to jump aside to avoid the bus. **

"**You outta your tree?" yelped Stan. "'Choo say 'is name for?" **

"**Sorry," said Harry hastily. "Sorry, I — I forgot —" **

"**Forgot!" said Stan weakly. "Blimey, my 'eart's goin' that fast…"**

"**So — so Black was a supporter of You-Know-Who?" Harry prompted apologetically. **

"NOOOOO!" James sing-songs, his face red and his hands white from being clenched so tightly.

"**Yeah," said Stan, still rubbing his chest. "Yeah, that's right. Very close to You-Know-'Oo, they say… anyway, when little 'Arry Potter got the better of You-Know-'Oo" — Harry nervously flattened his bangs down again — "all You-Know-'Oo's supporters was tracked down, wasn't they, Ern? Most of 'em knew it was all over, wiv You-Know-'Oo gone, and they came quiet. But not Sirius Black. I 'eard he thought 'e'd be second-in-command once You-Know-'Oo 'ad taken over. **

"He would never follow Voldemort, and would never be his second-in-command and, and, and." James growls, before sobbing slightly.

"Mr. Potter?" Amelia interrupts, causing James to look up and sniffle a little, feeling quite emasculated.

"Yes, Amelia?"

"Why are you protecting him? He betrayed you to Vo-Vol-Voldemort." She gasps, accomplishment on her face for saying the name, but curiosity and confusion also showing through.

"What are you talking about, betrayed me to Voldemort?" James snarls, upset all over again.

"Well, Black was your secret keeper, and he –"

"NO. Sirius wasn't my secret keeper!" James interrupts, while many people let out gasps of shock at hearing that.

"But then who was?" Amelia stutters, her own eyes wide.

"Oh, I don't know. Who is here that everyone thought dead?" James snaps, crossing his arms and snuggling into the couch, while Amelia looks towards Pettigrew, who flinches back and looks for an exit.

"We'll discuss this after the chapter, then."

"**Anyway, they cornered Black in the middle of a street full of Muggles an' Black took out 'is wand and 'e blasted 'alf the street apart, an' a wizard got it, an' so did a dozen Muggles what got in the way. 'Orrible, eh? An' you know what Black did then?" Stan continued in a dramatic whisper. **

"What?" James whispered, unable to believe a single thing that was being said.

"**What?" said Harry. **

"**Laughed," said Stan. "Jus' stood there an' laughed. An' when reinforcements from the Ministry of Magic got there, 'e went wiv em quiet as anyfink, still laughing 'is 'ead off. 'Cos 'e's mad, inee, Ern? Inee mad?" **

"**If he weren't when he went to Azkaban, he will be now," said Ern in his slow voice. "I'd blow meself up before I set foot in that place. Serves him right, mind you… after what he did…" **

"What did he do?" Lily whispers, worried about her husband.

"**They 'ad a job coverin' it up, din' they, Ern?" Stan said. "'Ole street blown up an' all them Muggles dead. What was it they said 'ad 'appened, Ern?" **

"**Gas explosion," grunted Ernie. **

"**An' now 'e's out," said Stan, examining the newspaper picture of Black's gaunt face again. "Never been a breakout from Azkaban before, 'as there, Ern? Beats me 'ow 'e did it. Frightenin', eh? Mind, I don't fancy 'is chances against them Azkaban guards, eh, Ern?"**

"He's the first to break out? Amazing." James interrupts, grinning slightly mad, causing many people to want to back away.

**Ernie suddenly shivered. "Talk about summat else, Stan, there's a good lad. Them Azkaban guards give me the collywobbles." **

**Stan put the paper away reluctantly, and Harry leaned against the window of the Knight Bus, feeling worse than ever. He couldn't help imagining what Stan might be telling his passengers in a few nights' time. **

"'**Ear about that 'Arry Potter? Blew up 'is aunt! We 'ad 'im 'ere on the Knight Bus, di'n't we, Ern? 'E was tryin' to run for it…" He, Harry, had broken wizard law just like Sirius Black. **

Harry heard Sirius snort, and couldn't help himself but snort back, and pretty soon everyone else was looking at him and the dog, wondering what was going on.

"**Was inflating Aunt Marge bad enough to land him in Azkaban? Harry didn't know anything about the wizard prison, though everyone he'd ever heard speak of it did so in the same fearful tone. **

"No, , inflating your aunt is not bad enough to land in Azkaban," Cornelius states, a line of worry on his forehead about the new developments.

**Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, had spent two months there only last year. Harry wouldn't soon forget the look of terror on Hagrid's face when he had been told where he was going, and Hagrid was one of the bravest people Harry knew. **

"I was actually close by to Black." Hagrid says somewhat silently, pondering what those two months were for him.

**The Knight Bus rolled through the darkness, scattering bushes and wastebaskets, telephone booths and trees, and Harry lay, restless and miserable, on his feather bed. After a while, Stan remembered that Harry had paid for hot chocolate, but poured it all over Harry's pillow when the bus moved abruptly from Anglesea to Aberdeen. **

"Well, that's not nice." Ginny says, crossing her arms.

**One by one, wizards and witches in dressing gowns and slippers descended from the upper floors to leave the bus. They all looked very pleased to go. **

"I would imagine," Lucius snorts, before his eyes widen in surprise.

**Finally, Harry was the only passenger left. **

"**Right then, Neville," said Stan, clapping his hands, "whereabouts in London?" **

"**Diagon Alley," said Harry. **

"**Righto," said Stan. "'Old tight, then." **

"I wish I had gone somewhere else." Harry interrupts, wrinkling his nose while everyone looks at him curiously.

**BANG. They were thundering along Charing Cross Road. Harry sat up and watched buildings and benches squeezing themselves out of the Knight Bus's way. The sky was getting a little lighter. He would lie low for a couple of hours, go to Gringotts the moment it opened, then set off — where, he didn't know. **

"Harry, mate, you need better plans." Charlie snorts, shaking his head.

"I like vem." Krum states, shrugging.

**Ern slammed on the brakes and the Knight Bus skidded to a halt in front of a small and shabby-looking pub, the Leaky Cauldron, behind which lay the magical entrance to Diagon Alley. **

"**Thanks," Harry said to Ern. He jumped down the steps and helped Stan lower his trunk and Hedwig's cage onto the pavement. **

"**Well," said Harry. "Bye then!" **

**But Stan wasn't paying attention. Still standing in the doorway to the bus he was goggling at the shadowy entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. **

"**There you are, Harry," said a voice.**

"Told you," Lily said, smirking slightly, not truly in it after hearing about Sirius.

**Before Harry could turn, he felt a hand on his shoulder. At the same time, Stan shouted, "Blimey! Ern, come 'ere! Come 'ere!" Harry looked up at the owner of the hand on his shoulder and felt a bucketful of ice cascade into his stomach — he had walked right into Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself. **

"See, bad plan. You should've grabbed your invisibility cloak, or something." Neville says, nodding his head apathetically while Ron grins slightly at his best friend.

**Stan leapt onto the pavement beside them. "What didja call Neville, Minister?" he said excitedly. **

"Of course he was," Remus says, rolling his eyes.

**Fudge, a portly little man in a long, pinstriped cloak, looked cold and exhausted. **

"I was. Black's a murderous dog!" Fudge shouts while James snorted and growled at the exact same time, shaking his head.

"**Neville?" he repeated, frowning. "This is Harry Potter." **

"**I knew it!" Stan shouted gleefully. "Ern! Ern! Guess 'oo Neville is, Ern! 'E's 'Arry Potter! I can see 'is scar!" **

"Oh, he won't like that." Ron snorts, rolling his eyes.

"**Yes," said Fudge testily, "well, I'm very glad the Knight Bus picked Harry up, but he and I need to step inside the Leaky Cauldron now…" **

**Fudge increased the pressure on Harry's shoulder, and Harry found himself being steered inside the pub. A stooping figure bearing a lantern appeared through the door behind the bar. It was Tom, the wizened, toothless landlord. **

"**You've got him, Minister!" said Tom. "Will you be wanting anything? Beer? Brandy?" **

"Not in front of my son, you won't." Lily snaps, clearly annoyed and worried over everything.

"**Perhaps a pot of tea," said Fudge, who still hadn't let go of Harry. **

"Oi. Let him go, already." A seventh year Gryffindor interrupts, glaring at the minister, who shifts uncomfortably.

**There was a loud scraping and puffing from behind them, and Stan and Ern appeared, carrying Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage and looking around excitedly. **

"'**Ow come you di'n't tell us 'oo you are, eh, Neville?" said Stan, beaming at Harry, while Ernie's owlish face peered interestedly over Stan's shoulder. **

"Seriously?" Remus snorts, shaking his head at the overexcited teenager.

"**And a private parlor, please, Tom," said Fudge pointedly. **

"**Bye," Harry said miserably to Stan and Ern as Tom beckoned Fudge toward the passage that led from the bar. **

"**Bye, Neville!" called Stan. **

"He's not this daft, is he?" Malfoy snarks, trying not to laugh.

**Fudge marched Harry along the narrow passage after Tom's lantern, and then into a small parlor. Tom clicked his fingers, a fire burst into life in the grate, and he bowed himself out of the room. **

"**Sit down, Harry," said Fudge, indicating a chair by the fire. Harry sat down, feeling goose bumps rising up his arms despite the glow of the fire. Fudge took off his pinstriped cloak and tossed it aside, then hitched up the trousers of his bottle-green suit and sat down opposite Harry. **

"**I am Cornelius Fudge, Harry. The Minister of Magic." Harry already knew this, of course; he had seen Fudge once before, but as he had been wearing his father's Invisibility Cloak at the time, Fudge wasn't to know that. **

"Good thinking, son." James says sullenly, smiling a little at his son before putting his head down glumly.

**Tom the innkeeper reappeared, wearing an apron over his nightshirt and bearing a tray of tea and crumpets. He placed the tray on a table between Fudge and Harry and left the parlor, closing the door behind him.**

"**Well, Harry," said Fudge, pouring out tea, "you've had us all in a right flap, I don't mind telling you. Running away from your aunt and uncle's house like that! I'd started to think… but you're safe, and that's what matters." **

"Like Sirius would ever hurt Harry!" Lily interrupts, her eyes filled with anger, causing everyone to stare in shock, "Sirius loved Harry. Harry's first word was Sirius related, he always asked for Sirius and if anything, when Harry was in a bad/cranky mood and James and I couldn't get him to sleep, Sirius could!" Lily snarls, while Harry hugs Sirius close to his chest, smiling.

**Fudge buttered himself a crumpet and pushed the plate toward Harry. **

"**Eat, Harry, you look dead on your feet. Now then… You will be pleased to hear that we have dealt with the unfortunate blowing-up of Miss Marjorie Dursley. Two members of the Accidental Magic Reversal Department were dispatched to Privet Drive a few hours ago. Miss Dursley has been punctured and her memory has been modified. She has no recollection of the incident at all. So that's that, and no harm done." **

"How unfortunate," Harry laughs.

**Fudge smiled at Harry over the rim of his teacup, rather like an uncle surveying a favorite nephew. Harry, who couldn't believe his ears, opened his mouth to speak, couldn't think of anything to say, and closed it again. **

"But you're not his uncle." Hermione questions, her face showing disgust.

"**Ah, you're worrying about the reaction of your aunt and uncle?" said Fudge. "Well, I won't deny that they are extremely angry, Harry, but they are prepared to take you back next summer as long as you stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas and Easter holidays." **

"Like he'd do anything else." Remus snorts.

**Harry unstuck his throat. "I always stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas and Easter holidays," he said, "and I don't ever want to go back to Privet Drive." **

"I seriously don't." Harry says, putting emphasis on Sirius' name, causing him to look up in surprise.

"**Now, now, I'm sure you'll feel differently once you've calmed down," said Fudge in a worried tone. **

"No, he won't." George states, rolling his eyes.

"**They are your family, after all, and I'm sure you are fond of each other — er — very deep down." **

**It didn't occur to Harry to put Fudge right. He was still waiting to hear what was going to happen to him now. **

"You still thought something was going to happen?"

"Well, of course."

"**So all that remains," said Fudge, now buttering himself a second crumpet, "is to decide where you're going to spend the last two weeks of your vacation. I suggest you take a room here at the Leaky Cauldron and…" **

"Dude, how nice, two weeks at the Leaky," Lily says, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

"**Hang on," blurted Harry. "What about my punishment?" **

"Harry, you don't ask about punishment when it hasn't been mentioned." Ron groans, shaking his head while someone else asks,

"But why would you ask in the first place?"

"Because I was used to being punished for everything." Harry says, shrugging while many people could be heard growling.

**Fudge blinked. "Punishment?"**

"Even Fudge was surprised!" Arthur laughs.

"**I broke the law!" Harry said. "The Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry!"**

"**Oh, my dear boy, we're not going to punish you for a little thing like that!" cried Fudge, waving his crumpet impatiently. "It was an accident! We don't send people to Azkaban just for blowing up their aunts!" **

"Thank Merlin for that," James mutters, "But apparently—"

"James!" Lily interrupts, tiredly. James stopped suddenly, his eyes wide before he closed them briefly and nodded his head, looking down, still upset about Sirius being in Azkaban.

**But this didn't tally at all with Harry's past dealings with the Ministry of Magic.**

"Well, he does make a point there," Hermione shrugs.

"**Last year, I got an official warning just because a house-elf smashed a pudding in my uncle's house!" he told Fudge, frowning. "The Ministry of Magic said I'd be expelled from Hogwarts if there was any more magic there!" **

**Unless Harry's eyes were deceiving him, Fudge was suddenly looking awkward. **

"Aha, probably not." Lily laughs, shaking her head.

"**Circumstances change, Harry… We have to take into account… in the present climate… Surely you don't want to be expelled?" **

"I guess he meant that everyone thought Sirius was after you?" James sighs, shaking his head to try and get his happy self back.

"**Of course I don't," said Harry. **

"**Well then, what's all the fuss about?" laughed Fudge. "Now, have a crumpet, Harry, while I go and see if Tom's got a room for you." **

"But crumpets are bloody gross." Harry mutters while people around him laugh.

**Fudge strode out of the parlor and Harry stared after him. There was something extremely odd going on. Why had Fudge been waiting for him at the Leaky Cauldron, if not to punish him for what he'd done? And now Harry came to think of it, surely it wasn't usual for the Minister of Magic himself to get involved in matters of underage magic? **

"He's an observant one, that's for sure." Mad-Eye grumbles.

**Fudge came back, accompanied by Tom the innkeeper. **

"**Room eleven's free, Harry," said Fudge. "I think you'll be very comfortable just one thing, and I'm sure you'll understand… I don't want you wandering off into Muggle London, all right? Keep to Diagon Alley. And you're to be back here before dark each night. Sure you'll understand. Tom will be keeping an eye on you for me." **

"**Okay," said Harry slowly, "but why?" **

"Good Potter, question everything!" Mad-Eye growls, glaring at the Minister, watching him squirm uncomfortably.

"**Don't want to lose you again, do we?" said Fudge with a hearty laugh. "No, no… best we know where you are… I mean…" Fudge cleared his throat loudly and picked up his pinstriped cloak. **

"**Well, I'll be off, plenty to do, you know…" **

"**Have you had any luck with Black yet?" Harry asked. Fudge's finger slipped on the silver fastenings of his cloak. **

"Nice going, Harry." Fred snorts, trying not to burst into laughter.

"**What's that? Oh, you've heard - well, no, not yet, but it's only a matter of time. The Azkaban guards have never yet failed… and they are angrier than I've ever seen them." **

Harry shuddered, causing James to look at him with worry, and Lily having noticed this, bit her lip and tilted her head.

**Fudge shuddered slightly. **

"**So, I'll say good-bye." He held out his hand and Harry, shaking it, had a sudden idea. **

"**Er — Minister? Can I ask you something?" **

"**Certainly," said Fudge with a smile. **

"**Well, third years at Hogwarts are allowed to visit Hogsmeade, but my aunt and uncle didn't sign the permission form. D'you think you could —?" **

The hall became silent at that sentence, and Harry, having forgotten about that moment, looked down uncomfortably, burying his face into Sirius' fur, not wanting to see the pitying looks everyone would be giving him.

**Fudge was looking uncomfortable. **

Even then, he was still looking uncomfortable, and Sirius began licking his godsons hand to calm him down.

"**Ah," he said. "No, no, I'm very sorry, Harry, but as I'm not your parent or guardian —"**

"**But you're the Minister of Magic," said Harry eagerly. "If you gave me permission…"**

"**No, I'm sorry, Harry, but rules are rules," said Fudge flatly. **

"I hate the rules," Harry mumbles, trying not to cry.

"AHA!" Snape shouts, pointing his finger at Harry while standing up, until he noticed everyone glaring at him and he sat down awkwardly.

"**Perhaps you'll be able to visit Hogsmeade next year. In fact, I think it's best if you don't… yes… well, I'll be off. Enjoy your stay, Harry." And with a last smile and shake of Harry's hand, Fudge left the room. Tom now moved forward, beaming at Harry. **

"**If you'll follow me, Mr. Potter," he said, "I've already taken your things up…" **

"Tom sure can be creepy sometimes," someone mutters with everyone nodding their heads.

**Harry followed Tom up a handsome wooden staircase to a door with a brass number eleven on it, which Tom unlocked and opened for him. **

"What the hell does it mean when it says 'handsome wooden staircase'?" Some first year questions while everyone shrugs.

**Inside was a very comfortable-looking bed, some highly polished oak furniture, a cheerfully crackling fire and, perched on top of the wardrobe — **

"Let's guess, Hedwig?"

"**Hedwig!" Harry gasped. The snowy owl clicked her beak and fluttered down onto Harry's arm. **

"Of course." Remus smiles.

"**Very smart owl you've got there," chuckled Tom. "Arrived about five minutes after you did. If there's anything you need, Mr. Potter, don't hesitate to ask." He gave another bow and left. **

"That must have been awkward," Ron mutters while Harry nods his head, wrinkling his nose.

**Harry sat on his bed for a long time, absentmindedly stroking Hedwig. The sky outside the window was changing rapidly from deep, velvety blue to cold, steely gray and then, slowly, to pink shot with gold. Harry could hardly believe that he'd left Privet Drive only a few hours ago, that he wasn't expelled, and that he was now facing two completely Dursley-free weeks. **

"**It's been a very weird night, Hedwig," he yawned. And without even removing his glasses, he slumped back onto his pillows and fell asleep.**

Everyone remained quiet after Minerva finished the sentence, and for a good five minutes, everyone looked around the room, taking in everything they had learned. Shortly after, Amelia had stood up, and looking briefly at Harry, looked straight at Sirius, who straightened up in his animagus form, feeling awkward and worried.

"I'm going to the Room of Requirement with Cornelius Fudge, James and Lily Potter and Remus Lupin to talk about what I've learned today. I highly suggest that Sirius Black come out from where he is, and come with us. I promise, he will _not_ be hurt. And if anyone does hurt him, the consequences will not be good!" Amelia states before turning towards the door and walking through it, with everyone following her that was mentioned.

Seconds later, everyone lets out a gasp in surprise when they see the dog that Harry had been so close with turn into Sirius Black. Some people let out a scream, while others stare at him in shock, inching back into their seats as he makes his way through the doors.

"Sirius!" Harry cries, and quickly, Sirius turns around and smiles, before letting out a quiet, "I'll be alright, Harry," before continuing on his way out.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thanks for reading/reviewing/private messaging. The ending was for all of the people who wanted Sirius to come earlier, especially V.L. Crawford. Hope y'all enjoyed. :)

I just wanted to let y'all know that because I have my own laptop now (thank goodness) the updates will (hopefully) become quicker, but there will only be one or two chapters being updated at a time. Hope y'all understand! :)


	43. Chapter 43

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry for the wait guys, but I had to study for two tests, and that took precedent. However, I bring to you 25 pages of this chapter on Word, so I hopoe you enjoy this long-ass thing. I'm hoping for more updates this weekend, as I don't work, so look out for it :

* * *

Harry Potter stared at the doors to the Great Hall for a few seconds before quickly looking at Hermione and Ron, who nodded. Within seconds, the three of them were transformed into their animagi forms, running towards the doors, which had been opened rather quickly by the twins, who also then transformed into their own animagi forms. Everyone who had remained in the hall stared in surprised, not use to seeing Harry turn into an animal, especially one that turned into a grim-like dog.

For Harry Potter however, the only thing he could think about was going to where Sirius was and making sure everything was alright. He wouldn't be able to handle it if Sirius was taken away from him, not after having gotten to know him so well, and having come to love him so much. While running, he can briefly hear snippets of Hermione speaking softly in his head, telling him to slow down slightly, as they don't want to let anyone know that they're coming. Harry, having realized how correct Hermione is about this, slows down his running and after a few minutes, finds himself in the room of requirement.

He looks at the door quickly, before he realizes that there's no way they won't be able to go into the room without being noticed.

"Harry, wish for the room to allow us to see what's going on in there at this current moment, and not be seen or heard." He hears in his head and smiles briefly at Hermione's voice before doing just that. Seconds later, the door swings open and the group of five make their way in silently, looking straight ahead to see a tense stance in the room.

_5 Minutes Earlier_

"Would you care to explain, Mr. Potter, what you meant by Sirius Black never having been your secret keeper?" Amelia Bones states, trying her hardest to remain absolutely calm, yet not doing the best job of it.

"Please, Madam Bones, call me James." James whispers, running his fingers through his hair before looking at Sirius, who had just walked in, and then Lily, who smiles lightly.

"And myself, Amelia." Lily states, with Amelia nodding.

"Then it best be you call me Amelia, James." She states biting her lip before continuing, "Now please, what did you mean by Black not being your secret keeper?" Amelia breathes out, her eyes wide and moving between James and Sirius, wondering if maybe something should be done. Briefly, her eyes fall on Cornelius, and she's surprised by the nervous energy she can sense on him, his fingers playing with the clasps on his jacket, his eyes darting everywhere, but landing mostly on Black, where they go wide and then continue to move forward.

"You'll have to brace yourself, Amelia." Lily states sighing, a piece of hair being blown out of her face, reminiscent of Meg from that _Hercules _movie her niece always loved. Amelia nods her head and wishes for a couch, which appears quite suddenly, before she sits on it, trying her hardest to get comfortable.

"For the longest time, the five of us—"

"'S'cuse me, but five?" Cornelius interrupts, his eyes continuing to dart back and forth.

"Yes, Minister, five. Myself and my wife, Sirius, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. As I was saying, the five of us had known for quite some time that there was a spy amongst the group that was working against Voldemort," James begins, grabbing a bottle of water that he wished for before he begins to cough, causing Lily to take over for him.

"The only problem was that we didn't know who. Unfortunately, we assumed it was Remus, because we figured that since he was a werewolf, Voldemort would be able to get to him easier." Lily begins, sniffling, while Amelia begins feeling bad, not sure what might happen.

"Because they thought Remus was the spy, they asked me to be their secret keeper—"

"No, we never asked you for that reason, Padfoot." James interrupts, his eyes going wide with surprise while gapping like a fish, "Padfoot, we were going to ask you anyways. You're my best friend. Yeah, Remus and Peter were too – Remus still was, obviously," James adds, seeing Remus quirk his eyebrow and smirk, "but you were my number one. I could count on you for anything and everything, and –" James stopped, feeling shortness of breath.

"While James and I discussed it for a while," Lily began, smiling at her husband in worry, "Even I knew you were going to be our secret keeper." She finishes.

"Now wait a minute, you just said Black was your secret keeper. Obviously, he's guilty of sending you to your deaths." Fudge interrupts, glaring at Sirius who glares right back, his fists clenching.

"And if you would listen to us instead of interrupting us, you'd hear the rest of what we have to say," James seethes, glaring at the Minister himself, causing Fudge to step back in surprise.

"Please proceed, James." Amelia interrupts, wanting to stop the fight before it comes about. James nods his head briefly, taking a deep breath before continuing.

"We made Sirius our secret keeper with Albus as the witness. However, around a week after being made secret keeper, Sirius came to me, late into the night, saying he had a brilliant idea." James states, biting his lip.

"Basically, while I was up pondering late into the night I realized that because of the fact that I was James' best friend, I was going to be the obvious choice to be his secret keeper. So, I began thinking about how to fool everyone."

"And his idea was bloody brilliant, too." Lily interrupts, sighing, before continuing, "If we only hadn't believed Remus was the spy." Lily looks down, trying to hide a few tears that had escaped from her eyes, but unsuccessfully so.

"Lily," Remus states, feeling mournful for all of the times that James and Lily, and even Sirius missed out on, because of the basic fundamental trust not being there in the time it was needed. She looks up slightly, her eyes puffy and red, and James goes to her immediately, holding her into his body as sobs wrack through her.

"If it's anyone's fault, Lils, its mine." Sirius interrupts, looking down and shuffling his feet, trying his own hardest not to let tears leak from his eyes.

"How in the bloody name of Merlin is it your fault, Siri?" Lily sobs, clenching James' cloak while turning her head towards Sirius who looks pain at hearing Harry's nickname for him coming from Lily, hadn't having heard it from her since before they died.

"Yes, Black, how is it your fault?" Fudge interrupts, still glaring causing Amelia to roll her eyes and push him back into a couch, knowing that this is an intimate moment between the group of friends.

"If I hadn't come up with that stupid plan, Lils, then both you and James would never have died." Sirius moans, his eyes wide with tears. Somewhere, there's a noise that sounds like a choked sob, but no one pays it any attention, though Sirius' eyes do squint slightly.

"You don't know that Padfoot!" James interrupts, stomping his foot slightly, "For all we know, we could've picked Remus, or we could've ignored your plan, and Voldemort still could've killed us!" He finishes, his eyes wide with everyone else.

"I'm sorry, I am, especially since it seems like you're having a really important conversation here, but what idea or plan did you have?" Amelia questions quietly, looking down at the floor, tear tracks on her cheeks visible.

Sirius sighs before continuing his narration, "I had gone to Godrics Hallow that night. James and Lily were getting ready to put Harry down for his nap – he was having a tough time going down, from what I remember—"

"Yeah. He kept saying wormy bad." Lily interrupts before her eyes go wide and she looks at James in shock, also with wide eyes.

"You don't think he-?"

"It's possible. He never liked Peter, would never let the guy go near him, let alone look at him without throwing a fit. He was obviously still awake, and—" Sirius starts, only to stop, sighing quietly while looking into the corner and squinting slightly before shaking his head.

"Maybe he was trying to tell me not to go through with it. I mean, I failed you guys, I failed Harry," Sirius whispers, looking down.

"Sirius, enough!" James barks, causing Sirius to look up quickly in surprise.

"What?"

"What happened is _not _your fault. I don't blame you, Lily doesn't blame you and from the way we saw our son act with you throughout the readings, we can say without a doubt that _he _doesn't blame you, so stop it." James shouts, panting in anger. Sirius opens and closes his mouth like a fish out of water before he snaps it shut and nods his head.

"Can we continue with this idea?" Amelia questions, nearly wary of continuing on.

"Right. Well, I had gone into Godric's Hallow, finding James and Lily trying to put Harry to sleep. I had burst into their house, basically shouting out that I had a brilliant idea, and none would be the wiser==|

"Of course, thus waking Harry right up, because he _always _wanted to be around his 'Pafoo Siri'," Lily interrupts lovingly, causing Sirius to smile slightly before continuing.

"I ended up holding Harry, his head cradled on my shoulder, while I told James and Lily the plan." Sirius finishes, letting James continue.

"He had basically told us that, well, he was our best friend. Because of that reason, everyone would suspect him to be our secret keeper, death eaters included. And while I didn't like where he was going with this, I knew that it must've been important, so I had let him continue. He had, talking about how because everyone suspected that he would be the secret keeper, and that since it was technically true, we should let everyone keep suspecting it, but have someone else as our secret keeper. Because who would suspect for the Potter's to pull a fast one like that, having enough trust in Sirius to not tell anyone of their whereabouts." James finishes, taking in a deep breath while he watches Amelia nod her head in understand, her eyes slightly bigger than before.

"Well, we admitted that it was a pretty good plan. We just needed someone to change secret keepers with." Lily begins, smiling in despair at Remus, who can understand perfectly well how she must be feeling.

"And because you thought Remus was the spy, you had one less person to go to?" Amelia fills in, starting to feel sick.

"Exactly." James says, nodding.

"Why not go to Dumbledore, then?" Fudge interrupts, cocking his eyebrow, not understanding the thought processes.

"Well, even then, we didn't trust him much, and if we had, we figured he would be too busy with the actual war." James replies, crossing his arms and shuffling.

"And of course, it goes to show he shouldn't have been trusted, because as Head of the Wizengamot, he could have easily saved Sirius then, and probably now, if he's broken out and yet, still on the run." Lily snarls, angry all over.

"Right. We'll get on to that, I promise. But more of this plan, please." Amelia says, nodding her head.

"So, we had come to the conclusion, Peter. He was our best friend, we trusted him. He was one of us, and well, we figured he would love the chance to shine more than the rest of us." James sighs, shaking his head, "If we had only known it was too late by then."

"What happened?" Amelia questions, nearly out of breath from the thought alone, her heart breaking.

"Well, we had known that the spy was giving Voldemort information for at least year. But that's all we knew. The very next night after Sirius had come to visit, we had managed to get a hold of Peter, and after much discussion, asked him to be our new secret keeper, without telling a soul that we had changed people." Lily states

"Why didn't we see how happy he was to be our secret keeper?" James groans, shaking his head.

"Well, not even a week later, it was Halloween, and the day the four of us had decided to reconvene, make sure everyone and everything was ok. I had gone to visit Peter, and when I got to his house, he wasn't there. I would've assumed the worse, except his house – it, it didn't look like there was an attack. It looked like he left willingly, like everything was perfectly fine. And for me, that's when it all clicked into place." Sirius stops, his breath stuck in his throat as a couple of tears come down from his eyes. He tries to choke back a sob but doesn't when he sees James looking at him.

"I rushed to Godrics Hallow as fast as I could. By the time I got there—" Sirius sobs, closing his eyes briefly, "By the time I got there, the house was burning, and part of it was already caved in. As I walked closer to the house – I… I could see James. Through the window, I could see him on the ground. His glasses were skewed, his arms spread, his wand a little bit away from him." Sirius stops here, choking back more sobs while wrapping his arms around his waist. "I could hear Harry from upstairs. He was crying, but at the same time, he was calling for his daddy and asking for his mommy to wake up." Sirius stops again, this time sobbing completely, while James and Lily choke back their own sobs, holding one another tightly. Somewhere, if you listen closely, you can hear someone sniffling from a corner, and Sirius looks over quickly before continuing to speak, walking to the corner as he does so.

"I made my way up the stairs and headed towards Harry's room. It took longer than it should have, with the rubble and the fire, and when I went into Harry's room, the first thing I saw was Lily. She was lying in front of Harry's crib, on her back. Her eyes – her eyes were wide, looking at Harry, and it was—" Sirius stops, truly crying by now, while he sits down in the corner, nudging his invisible godson, making Amelia arch her eyebrow in confusion and James and Lily tilt their heads.

"When I truly entered the room, Harry saw me immediately. He reached up for me, calling out Pafoo. I had to carry him down the stairs, trying to hide the sight of his father from him, while hearing him call out for his mom and dad, asking me to bring them back, to take away the pain on his forehead from the bloody scar." Sirius sobs, wiping the tears away from his eyes.

"So, you're saying that you switch secret keepers with Peter, and Peter then led Voldemort to James and Lily?" Amelia says aghast and Sirius nods his head, still staring at the ground, sniffling.

"But what about you murdering Pettigrew?!" Fudge shouts, and James looks at Sirius interestingly while Lily snorts.

"Well obviously, whatever you think Sirius did to Peter, he didn't do, since Peter is in the Great Hall!"

"Then what happened?" Fudge snarls.

"I went after that rat, okay? I'll admit, I was angry, I wasn't thinking straight. I had given Harry to Hagrid thinking he'd be safe, that I'd come for him soon. I just wanted to catch that rat and make him realize what he did. Except," Sirius laughs here, reminiscent of the day it all ended, "Except I guess he must've known me better than I thought, cause the bastard was waiting for me. He had wide eyes, eyes that didn't hold an inch of remorse in them before he shouted out that I had done it. That I had killed James and Lily and ruined Harry's life for good. Next thing I know, I can hear him muttering a spell, can see his fucking finger on the ground. By now, my own eyes are wide, he's transforming into his fucking animagus form and people all around me are dropping dead." Sirius chuckles without humor, and in the back of his mind, he can feel a hand on his back, and he has to close his eyes briefly, before he looks up into James' eyes, pleadingly, not wanting to continue forward.

James, having recognized this, steps forward and kneels down next to his best friend.

"Padfoot," James whispers, tears sliding down his face. "Anyone would've done the same thing."

Sirius shakes his head, "No. No, I should've been there for Harry. I should've stayed with Harry." He moans, looking to the side apologetically.

Harry is currently looking up at his godfather with wide eyes. He knows him and his friends are invisible, but of course, somehow, Sirius had known he was there, had come to him. And the only thing Harry wants to do is comfort his godfather, the same way Sirius comforts him after a nightmare.

"Harry, we need to go if we want to return so that no one else knows we've eavesdropped," Fred mutters quietly, trying to give his friend the space he needs. Harry briefly nods before looking back towards Sirius, and, squeezing his hand quickly, transforms back into his animagus form and runs out the door. Even when he sees the Great Hall coming into eyesight, he runs right by it, hearing the questioning thoughts in his head coming from the others.

"I don't want to be in there right now. I need to reconvene, I need to make sure, I can't look like a mess when I'm in there." Harry thinks, feeling the understanding thoughts coming from everyone else. Within minutes, he's outside, sitting underneath the all-too familiar tree by the great lake, still in his animagus form. He can see Hermione, Ron, Fred and George sit down around his own spot, with Hermione being the one to sit closest to him. He doesn't know how long he lays on the grass in his animagus form, with his eyes closed, trying to calm himself down but a short little while later, the sun is no longer bathing on him.

Harry doesn't need to open his eyes to know his godfather is the one standing in front of him, and he can briefly hear Hermione whisper in his mind that they're going back to the Great Hall and he opens one eye to see Sirius slowly sitting down, with his parents closer towards the lake, pointedly ignoring the two of them.

"Listen, pup—" Sirius begins, petting the fur Harry has lightly, looking downwards, his eyes red and puffy. Harry cocks his head slightly, looking at Sirius, eyes wide. Sirius sighs, before he suddenly transforms into his own animagus form. He watches as Sirius walks in a circle a couple of times before coming to lay down next to him, his nose nudging Harry's side, making Harry curl up close to Sirius.

_Harry, you shouldn't have come in to eavesdrop._

_I know. I'm sorry. I just couldn't – did Madam Bones? _Sirius stays silent for a couple of minutes, looking at the far away figures of James and Lily before he turns back towards his godson, looking at his wide eyes, fear evident in them.

_Amelia has the evidence with her that I'm innocent. You know what happened, but after you left, I gave her my memories of the nights mentioned. _

_And what about Fudge? _Harry thinks, snarling at the Minister's name while Sirius looks disapprovingly at him.

_Fudge had a hard time believing that he had convicted an innocent man – had an even harder time that he was going to admit to it not only at Hogwarts, but in a press conference to happen after we read the books._

_Well, good. So…. You're free? _Harry thinks, hopefulness apparent in his voice, causing Sirius to smile lightly.

Harry thinks, hopefulness apparent in his voice, causing Sirius to smile lightly.

_Unofficially, I'm a free man. Officially, until the press conference, I'm still a convicted man, and after some discussion, Amelia and I have come to the decision that during the reading _– Harry's eyes went wide, realization dawning on him that Sirius will still be in his animagus form.

_Sirius, no! _

_Harry, no, I'm not going to stay in my dog form. Unless things get rowdy or rough or something, only then will I be in my dog form. But if things go well, I'll be remaining human._

_Yes! _Harry thinks before throwing his animagus form into Sirius, beginning to roughhouse with him, causing Sirius to let out a bark of laughter. They continue playfighting for a few minutes, before Harry suddenly stops and curls into Sirius.

_Did I really say those things, Siri. _Harry thinks in his mind, hiding his face in Sirius' fur, tears coming from his eyes. He rarely remembers that night, just remembers green light, cruel laughing and someone saying it was going to be alright (though he's never told anyone about that). He can feel Sirius tense before he turns back into himself and holding Harry close to his body.

"Yeah, pup, you did," He whispers, letting Harry cry silently in between his neck and shoulder, clutching onto his clothing.

It isn't until fifteen minutes later that Sirius and Harry have started making their way back to the Great Hall. When they're near enough to the doorway, they can hear chaos inside and reluctantly, walk in, to find that everything settles down immediately once they do.

"Great, they were talking about us." Harry sighs. Heads continue to swirl in their direction, many people's eyes going wide, seeing Harry with Sirius Black.

"What?" Harry growls, frustrated.

"It's just… he… led your parents to death!" Someone shouts, hiding when Harry turns to glare in the direction the voice came from, growling.

"No, he didn't. I'm sure Madam Bones talked to you about the truth—" At this, someone interrupts Harry.

"No. She didn't. She just said that he was innocent and we should not hex him or anything like that."

"Then the fact that he's innocent should be enough for you to know he did not lead my parent's to their deaths." Harry snaps, crossing his arms and looking down at his feet.

"I think that everyone should hear about how Sirius is innocent through the books, and not myself." Amelia states, staring at everyone.

"Now, let's get on with chapter four! Who's reading it?" Suddenly, to the surprise of nearly everyone, the book flies to Bill, who grabs it with a shrug.

"I guess I am, Amelia." He states, before turning to the correct page.

**CHAPTER FOUR, The Leaky Cauldron **

**It took Harry several days to get used to his strange new freedom.**

"Well, I'm going to kill those Dursley's," Lily mutters, pouting.

**Never before had he been able to get up whenever he wanted or eat whatever he fancied. **

"When you come live with me, you could do that all you want, kiddo." Sirius whispers grinning while Harry smiles in excitement.

**He could even go wherever he pleased, as long as it was in Diagon Alley, and as this long cobbled street was packed with the most fascinating wizarding shops in the world, Harry felt no desire to break his word to Fudge and stray back into the Muggle world. **

"Well, I s'pose that's alright." James says, grinning at his son.

**Harry ate breakfast each morning in the Leaky Cauldron, where he liked watching the other guests: funny little witches from the country, up for a day's shopping; venerable-looking wizards arguing over the latest article in Transfiguration Today; wild-looking warlocks; raucous dwarfs; and once, what looked suspiciously like a hag, who ordered a plate of raw liver from behind a thick woolen balaclava. **

"Ew." Ginny mutters, wrinkling her nose, alongside many others.

"Cool, a hag!" James grins, eyes wide, causing many people to laugh.

**After breakfast Harry would go out into the backyard, take out his wand, tap the third brick from the left above the trash bin, and stand back as the archway into Diagon Alley opened in the wall. **

"That might be a little obvious now, if you think about it." Hermione states, tilting her head.

"How so?" Amelia questions.

"Well, a lot of people break in, or snoop, or are just curious. What if they saw it?" Hermione states, shaking her head slightly in irritation at herself.

**Harry spent the long sunny days exploring the shops and eating under the brightly colored umbrellas outside cafes, where his fellow diners were showing one another their purchases ("It's a lunascope, old boy — no more messing around with moon charts, see?")**

"Lunascope. A great invention." Ron mutters.

- ** or else discussing the case of Sirius Black ("Personally, I won't let any of the children out alone until he's back in Azkaban"). **

"Hey!" Sirius laughs, enjoying himself for once while many people shuffle uncomfortable.

**Harry didn't have to do his homework under the blankets by flashlight anymore; **

"Well, very good Potter. I enjoy the fact that you anticipate doing your homework!" Minerva interrupts, smiling slightly.

- **now he could sit in the bright sunshine outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, finishing all his essays with occasional help from Florean Fortescue himself, who, apart from knowing a great deal about medieval witch burnings, gave Harry free sundaes every half an hour. **

"Wait. What?" James questions, his mouth open in shock.

"You got free ice cream, Harry?" Seamus questions, his eyes wide.

"Yeah, but I s'pose it has something to do with who I am." Harry replies, shrugging, while many people startled at the intensity in his voice.

**Once Harry had refilled his money bag with gold Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts from his vault at Gringotts, he had to exercise a lot of self-control not to spend the whole lot at once. **

Sirius snorts here, causing Harry to look at him in confusion.

"You shouldn't have needed to exercise self-control, kiddo." He replies, bitterly.

**He had to keep reminding himself that he had five years to go at Hogwarts, and how it would feel to ask the Dursleys for money for spellbooks, to stop himself from buying a handsome set of solid gold Gobstones (a wizarding game rather like marbles, in which the stones squirt a nasty-smelling liquid into the other player's face when they lose a point). **

"We really need to teach you about the Potter vault," Lily sighs, shaking her head while glaring at Albus for not doing so, while James continues to wonder why the headmaster never did.

**He was sorely tempted, too, by the perfect, moving model of the galaxy in a large glass ball, which would have meant he never had to take another Astronomy lesson. **

"That would be nice," Ron sighs, looking up at the sky.

**But the thing that tested Harry's resolution most appeared in his favorite shop, Quality Quidditch Supplies, a week after he'd arrived at the Leaky Cauldron. **

"How Potter of you." Snape drawls, while James, Lily and Sirius all glare at him.

**Curious to know what the crowd in the shop was staring at, Harry edged his way inside and squeezed in among the excited witches and wizards until he glimpsed a newly erected podium, on which was mounted the most magnificent broom he had ever seen in his life. **

"Oh my god, is that-?" Hermione questions, her eyes wide while Harry nods his head happily and Sirius smiles.

"**Just come out — prototype —" a square-jawed wizard was telling his companion. **

"**It's the fastest broom in the world, isn't it, Dad?" squeaked a boy younger than Harry, who was swinging off his father's arm. **

Hermione grimaced at this, shaking her head. "Seriously, Harry?" She questions, looking at him. Harry just shrugs.

"It was something I noticed."

"**Irish International Side's just put in an order for seven of these beauties!" the proprietor of the shop told the crowd. "And they're favorites for the World Cup!" **

"Did they actually use them at the World Cup?" Hermione questions, tilting her head to the side.

"I don't think so." Ron states, also tilting his head, while James opens his mouth in shock once more.

"You went to a World Cup?!"

**A large witch in front of Harry moved, and he was able to read the sign next to the broom: **

**** THE FIREBOLT ** **

**THIS STATE-OF-THE-ART RACING BROOM SPORTS A STREAM-LINED, SUPERFINE HANDLE OF ASH, TREATED WITH A DIAMOND-HARD POLISH AND HAND-NUMBERED WITH ITS OWN REGISTRATION NUMBER. EACH INDIVIDUALLY SELECTED BIRCH TWIG IN THE BROOMTAIL HAS BEEN HONED TO AERODYNAMIC PERFECTION, GIVING THE FIREBOLT UNSURPASSABLE BALANCE AND PINPOINT PRECISION. THE FIREBOLT HAS AN ACCELERATION OF 150 MILES AN HOUR IN TEN SECONDS AND INCORPORATES AN UNBREAKABLE BRAKING CHARM. PRICE ON REQUEST. **

"I s'pose that means it's going to cost a lot." Lily sighs, while Harry scrunches his face up.

"Were you there?" He questions, turning towards Sirius, who snorts.

"Yep. Saw you looking at it like it was Christmas come early."

"That explains so much then!" Ron exclaims, his eyes wide and his cheeks red, while everyone else looks on in confusion, having no idea what the lot of them are talking about.

**Price on request… Harry didn't like to think how much gold the Firebolt would cost. He had never wanted anything as much in his whole life — but he had never lost a Quidditch match on his Nimbus Two Thousand, and what was the point in emptying his Gringotts vault for the Firebolt, when he had a very good broom already? **

"Very good thinking, Harry." Remus states, smiling slightly.

**Harry didn't ask for the price, but he returned, almost every day after that, just to look at the Firebolt. **

"By the last day, I knew how badly you must've wanted it." Sirius whispers, poking his godson in the stomach, causing him to laugh a little bit.

**There were, however, things that Harry needed to buy. He went to the Apothecary to replenish his store of potions ingredients, and as his school robes were now several inches too short in the arm and leg, he visited Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and bought new ones. Most important of all, he had to buy his new schoolbooks, which would include those for his two new subjects, Care of Magical Creatures and Divination. **

"Divination is still going around? What a load of bullshit. Y'know, that old cow predicted my death every year?" James states, shaking his head with a sigh, while most people in Harry's year who've had the class with him have burst out laughing.

"What?" James questions.

**Harry got a surprise as he looked in at the bookshop window. Instead of the usual display of gold-embossed spellbooks the size of paving slabs, there was a large iron cage behind the glass that held about a hundred copies of The Monster Book of Monsters. Torn pages were flying everywhere as the books grappled with each other, locked together in furious wrestling matches and snapping aggressively. **

"Oh, I bet the manager did not like that." Lily sighs, while Sirius snorts.

"Might've reminded him of the Invisible Book of Invisibility he'd ordered."

**Harry pulled his booklist out of his pocket and consulted it for the first time. **_**The Monster Book of Monsters **_**was listed as the required book for Care of Magical Creatures. Now Harry understood why Hagrid had said it would come in useful. He felt relieved; he had been wondering whether Hagrid wanted help with some terrifying new pet. **

Many people burst out laughing here, while Hagrid looked aghast at the thought.

**As Harry entered Flourish and Blotts, the manager came hurrying toward him. **

"**Hogwarts?" he said abruptly. "Come to get your new books?" **

"**Yes," said Harry, "I need —" **

"**Get out of the way," said the manager impatiently, brushing Harry aside. He drew on a pair of very thick gloves, picked up a large, knobbly walking stick, and proceeded toward the door of the Monster Books' cage. **

"You should let him state what he wants first, mate." Ron laughs.

"**Hang on," said Harry quickly, "I've already got one of those." **

"**Have you?" A look of enormous relief spread over the manager's face. "Thank heavens for that. I've been bitten five times already this morning —" **

Many students snort, while Umbridge glares at them all and Fudge looks down on them, wondering why they are having such a good time.

**A loud ripping noise rent the air; two of the Monster Books had seized a third and were pulling it apart. **

"**Stop it! Stop it!" cried the manager, poking the walking stick through the bars and knocking the books apart. "I'm never stocking them again, never! It's been bedlam! I thought we'd seen the worst when we bought two hundred copies of the **_**Invisible Book of Invisibility **_**— cost a fortune, and we never found them… Well… is there anything else I can help you with?" **

"I wonder where those books _are,_" James laughs.

"**Yes," said Harry, looking down his booklist, "I need **_**Unfogging the Future **_**by Cassandra Vablatsky." **

"**Ah, starting Divination, are you?" said the manager, stripping off his gloves and leading Harry into the back of the shop, where there was a corner devoted to fortune-telling. A small table was stacked with volumes such as **_**Predicting the Unpredictable: Insulate Yourself Against Shocks and Broken Balls: When Fortunes Turn Foul. **_

"**Here you are," said the manager, who had climbed a set of steps to take down a thick, black-bound book. "**_**Unfogging the Future**_**. Very good guide to all your basic fortune-telling methods — palmistry, crystal balls, bird entrails." **

"I don't know why it's even a course. You're either born with the gift of being a seer, or not. It's not something you can just learn," Hermione mutters, crossing her arms in annoyance.

**But Harry wasn't listening. His eyes had fallen on another book, which was among a display on a small table: **_**Death Omens — What to Do When You Know the Worst Is Coming.**_

Ron snorted here before shaking his head, "I can imagine that, but Harry, you basically took the exact same form," he states, causing Harry to blush, Sirius to laugh and Lily to giggle.

"**Oh, I wouldn't read that if I were you," said the manager lightly, looking to see what Harry was staring at. "You'll start seeing death omens everywhere. It's enough to frighten anyone to death." **

**But Harry continued to stare at the front cover of the book; it showed a black dog large as a bear, with gleaming eyes. It looked oddly familiar… **

"Of course it did. The photographer of the book asked Sirius to be the dog of the grim on the book." James laughs, while Sirius snorts and Harry's eyes widen as he looks towards his godfather.

**The manager pressed **_**Unfogging the Future **_**into Harry's hands. **

"**Anything else?" he said. **

"**Yes," said Harry, tearing his eyes away from the dog's and dazedly consulting his booklist. **

"**Er — I need **_**Intermediate Transfiguration **_**and **_**The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Three."**_

**Harry emerged from Flourish and Blotts ten minutes later with his new books under his arms and made his way back to the Leaky Cauldron, hardly noticing where he was going and bumping into several people. **

"Harry, don't be so rude," Lily states, while Molly snorts.

"Yes, now you tell him," She grumbles, crossing her own arms, while Lily just sighs.

**He tramped up the stairs to his room, went inside, and tipped his books onto his bed. Somebody had been in to tidy; the windows were open and sun was pouring inside. Harry could hear the buses rolling by in the unseen Muggle street behind him and the sound of the invisible crowd below in Diagon Alley. He caught sight of himself in the mirror over the basin. **

"**It can't have been a death omen," he told his reflection defiantly. "I was panicking when I saw that thing in Magnolia Crescent… It was probably just a stray dog…" **

"Well, yes and no." Hermione grins, giggling, while Harry mock-glares at her.

**He raised his hand automatically and tried to make his hair lie flat.**

"Good luck there, son." James snorts.

"**You're fighting a losing battle there, dear," said his mirror in a wheezy voice. **

"See, even the mirror knows."

**As the days slipped by, Harry started looking wherever he went for a sign of Ron or Hermione. Plenty of Hogwarts students were arriving in Diagon Alley now, with the start of term so near. Harry met Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, his fellow Gryffindors, in Quality Quidditch Supplies, where they too were ogling the Firebolt; he also ran into the real Neville Longbottom, a round-faced, forgetful boy, outside Flourish and Blotts. Harry didn't stop to chat; Neville appeared to have mislaid his booklist and was being told off by his very formidable-looking grandmother. **

"Good thinking, Harry." Neville grimaces, remembering that day quite well.

**Harry hoped she never found out that he'd pretended to be Neville while on the run from the Ministry of Magic. **

"I'd think she'd be thrilled, actually." Neville mutters, bitterness creeping up over his grandma. Harry cocks his head to the side, before kicking Neville lightly to get his attention. When he does look up, Harry smiles slightly and Neville smiles back, before thanking him.

**Harry woke on the last day of the holidays, thinking that he would at least meet Ron and Hermione tomorrow, on the Hogwarts Express. He got up, dressed, went for a last look at the Firebolt, and was just wondering where he'd have lunch, when someone yelled his name and he turned. **

"**Harry! HARRY!" **

**They were there, both of them, sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor — Ron looking incredibly freckly, Hermione very brown, both waving frantically at him. **

"**Finally!" said Ron, grinning at Harry as he sat down. "We went to the Leaky Cauldron, but they said you'd left, and we went to Flourish and Blotts, and Madam Malkin's, and —" **

"**I got all my school stuff last week," Harry explained. "And how come you knew I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron?" **

"**Dad," said Ron simply. **

**Mr. Weasley, who worked at the Ministry of Magic, would of course have heard the whole story of what had happened to Aunt Marge. **

"We sure did—"

"And we thought—"

"It was bloody magnificent!" Fred finishes, grinning, while Harry laughs and Molly shakes her head.

"**Did you really blow up your aunt, Harry?" said Hermione in a very serious voice. **

"**I didn't mean to," said Harry, while Ron roared with laughter. "I just — lost control." **

Many people roared with laughter themselves, while Sirius looked at his godson, then his two friends, wondering why Harry's magic would be acting out at such a mature magic age.

"**It's not funny, Ron," said Hermione sharply. "Honestly, I'm amazed Harry wasn't expelled." **

"Really?" Percy asked, distain in his voice, causing Hermione to tense.

"Yes, really." She states, trying to remain calm.

"**So am I," admitted Harry. "Forget expelled, I thought I was going to be arrested." He looked at Ron. "Your dad doesn't know why Fudge let me off, does he?" **

"Admittedly, my next sentence isn't the thing I should've said as his best friend." Ron interrupts, shaking his head while looking sick.

"**Probably 'cause it's you, isn't it?" shrugged Ron, still chuckling. "Famous Harry Potter and all that. I'd hate to see what the Ministry'd do to me if I blew up an aunt. Mind you, they'd have to dig me up first, because Mum would've killed me. Anyway, you can ask Dad yourself this evening. We're staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight too! So you can come to King's Cross with us tomorrow! Hermione's there as well!" **

"Yeah, definitely not the best thing to say," Ron snorts, continuing to shake his head while many of his siblings laugh lightly.

**Hermione nodded, beaming. "Mum and Dad dropped me off this morning with all my Hogwarts things." **

"**Excellent!" said Harry happily. "So, have you got all your new books and stuff?" **

"**Look at this," said Ron, pulling a long thin box out of a bag and opening it. "Brand-new wand. Fourteen inches, willow, containing one unicorn tail-hair. And we've got all our books —" He pointed at a large bag under his chair. "What about those Monster Books, eh? The assistant nearly cried when we said we wanted two." **

Many people laughed here, James the loudest. "I can totally imagine that."

"**What's all that, Hermione?" Harry asked, pointing at not one but three bulging bags in the chair next to her. **

"Why does she need two?" James questions, sobering up immediately.

"**Well, I'm taking more new subjects than you, aren't I," said Hermione. "Those are my books for Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, the Study of Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies —" **

"What on earth is the muggle doing _Muggle _Studies for?" Malfoy questions, rolling his eyes.

"Well, since I was a muggle born, I took it to see the wizarding point of view on my… race. I'd imagine Hermione dear did it for the same reason," Lily snarls, protective of the female she already thinks of as a daughter, while James glares at the Malfoy kid.

"**What are you doing Muggle Studies for?" said Ron, rolling his eyes at Harry. "You're Muggle-born! Your mum and dad are Muggles! You already know all about Muggles!" **

"**But it'll be fascinating to study them from the wizarding point of view," said Hermione earnestly. **

"See?" Lily sighs, beaming.

"**Are you planning to eat or sleep at all this year, Hermione?" asked Harry, while Ron sniggered. Hermione ignored them. **

"You know, I was actually curious. You didn't have to ignore me." Harry interrupts, poking his girlfriend in the side, causing her to laugh.

"Sorry. Just. You know me at that time." Hermione shrugs, sheepishly smiling.

"**I've still got ten Galleons," she said, checking her purse. "It's my birthday in September, and Mum and Dad gave me some money to get myself an early birthday present." **

"**How about a nice **_**book**_**? said Ron innocently. **

"Why do people think you two are good for one another?" James questions, turning to Ron, who shrugs.

"**No, I don't think so," said Hermione composedly. "I really want an owl. I mean, Harry's got Hedwig and you've got Errol —" **

"An owl is a splendid idea!" the twins state.

"**I haven't," said Ron. "Errol's a family owl. All I've got is Scabbers." He pulled his pet rat out of his pocket. "And I want to get him checked over," he added, placing Scabbers on the table in front of them. "I don't think Egypt agreed with him." **

"Or other things," Ron laughs while looking at Pettigrew, causing him to squirm, Sirius to growl and many people to continue looking confused.

**Scabbers was looking thinner than usual, and there was a definite droop to his whiskers. **

"**There's a magical creature shop just over there," said Harry, who knew Diagon Alley very well by now. "You could see if they've got anything for Scabbers, and Hermione can get her owl." **

"Thank you for that, by the way." Hermione whispers, while Ron nods and grins.

**So they paid for their ice cream and crossed the street to the Magical Menagerie. There wasn't much room inside. Every inch of wall was hidden by cages. It was smelly and very noisy because the occupants of these cages were all squeaking, squawking, jabbering, or hissing. The witch behind the counter was already advising a wizard on the care of double-ended newts, so Harry, Ron, and Hermione waited, examining the cages. **

"It was kind of a long wait, too." Ron states, remembering back to that time.

**A pair of enormous purple toads sat gulping wetly and feasting on dead blowflies. A gigantic tortoise with a jewel-encrusted shell was glittering near the window. Poisonous orange snails were oozing slowly up the side of their glass tank, and a fat white rabbit kept changing into a silk top hat and back again with a loud popping noise. Then there were cats of every color, a noisy cage of ravens, a basket of funny custard-colored furballs that were humming loudly, and on the counter, a vast cage of sleek black rats that were playing some sort of skipping game using their long, bald tails. **

**The double-ended newt wizard left, and Ron approached the counter. **

"**It's my rat," he told the witch. "He's been a bit off-color ever since I brought him back from Egypt." **

"**Bang him on the counter," said the witch, pulling a pair of heavy black spectacles out of her pocket. **

Many of the muggle-born eyes went wide, while Harry laughed. "She means, put him on the counter, not to actually bang him on it."

**Ron lifted Scabbers out of his inside pocket and placed him next to the cage of his fellow rats, who stopped their skipping tricks and scuffled to the wire for a better took. **

**Like nearly everything Ron owned, Scabbers the rat was secondhand (he had once belonged to Ron's brother Percy) and a bit battered. Next to the glossy rats in the cage, he looked especially woebegone. **

"**Hm," said the witch, picking up Scabbers. "How old is this rat?" **

"**Dunno," said Ron. "Quite old. He used to belong to my brother." **

"**What powers does he have?" said the witch, examining Scabbers closely. **

"**Er —" The truth was that Scabbers had never shown the faintest trace of interesting powers. The witch's eyes moved from Scabbers's tattered left ear to his front paw, which had a toe missing, and tutted loudly. **

"I don't know how no one ever put the connection together. Me especially," Moody growls, glaring at Pettigrew, who shrinks back, not being used to being angered with by someone other than those he believed to be his friends.

"**He's been through the mill, this one," she said. **

"**He was like that when Percy gave him to me," said Ron defensively. **

"**An ordinary common or garden rat like this can't be expected to live longer than three years or so," said the witch. "Now, if you were looking for something a bit more hard-wearing, you might like one of these —" **

"Which is what clue number as to how he wasn't a normal rat?" Ron mutters, looking sick.

**She indicated the black rats, who promptly started skipping again. Ron muttered, "Show-offs." **

"**Well, if you don't want a replacement, you can try this rat tonic," said the witch, reaching under the counter and bringing out a small red bottle. **

"**Okay," said Ron. "How much — OUCH!" **

"What happened?" Someone shouts, while many people look at the book with wide eyes.

**Ron buckled as something huge and orange came soaring from the top of the highest cage, landed on his head, and then propelled itself, spitting madly, at Scabbers. **

"**NO, CROOKSHANKS, NO!" cried the witch, but Scabbers shot from between her hands like a bar of soap, landed splay-legged on the floor, and then scampered for the door. **

"Ah," Many people said, having met the cat before, while the adults looked on in confusion.

"Why the 'ah'?"

"You'll see." Hermione grins, a sparkle in her eyes.

"**Scabbers!" Ron shouted, racing out of the shop after him; Harry followed. **

"Wish I hadn't."

**It took them nearly ten minutes to catch Scabbers, who had taken refuge under a wastepaper bin outside Quality Quidditch Supplies. Ron stuffed the trembling rat back into his pocket and straightened up, massaging his head. **

"**What **_**was **_**that?" **

"**It was either a very big cat or quite a small tiger," said Harry. **

Many people snort, some shaking their heads at the line Harry provided.

"**Where's Hermione?" **

"Getting her owl, I hope." James states, frowning.

"**Probably getting her owl." **

**They made their way back up the crowded street to the Magical Menagerie. As they reached it, Hermione came out, but she wasn't carrying an owl. Her arms were clamped tightly around the enormous ginger cat. **

"OH MY GOD, SHE BOUGHT THE CAT!" James laughs, clapping his hands. "Must've given the rat hell," He smirks, glaring towards Pettigrew, who trembles.

"**You **_**bought **_**that monster?" said Ron, his mouth hanging open. **

"**He's **_**gorgeous**_**, isn't he?" said Hermione, glowing. **

"Oof!" Harry interrupts, looking down to find the cat itself on his lap, purring contently, while he scratches under his chin.

**That was a matter of opinion, thought Harry. The cat's ginger fur was thick and fluffy, but it was definitely a bit bowlegged and its face looked grumpy and oddly squashed, as though it had run headlong into a brick wall. Now that Scabbers was out of sight, however, the cat was purring contentedly in Hermione's arms. **

"It is a nice cat," Harry coos, while his dad and Sirius snort and Lily giggles.

"**Hermione, that thing nearly scalped me!" said Ron. **

"**He didn't mean to, did you, Crookshanks?" said Hermione. **

"**And what about Scabbers?" said Ron, pointing at the lump in his chest pocket. "He needs rest and relaxation! How's he going to get it with that thing around?" **

"It was a really hard year for the poor thing." Ginny sighs, while Harry looks at his godfather with a smirk.

"**That reminds me, you forgot your rat tonic," said Hermione, slapping the small red bottle into Ron's hand. "And stop worrying, Crookshanks will be sleeping in my dormitory and Scabbers in yours, what's the problem? Poor Crookshanks, that witch said he'd been in there for ages; no one wanted him." **

"**Wonder why," said Ron sarcastically as they set off toward the Leaky Cauldron. **

**They found Mr. Weasley sitting in the bar, reading the **_**Daily Prophet**_**. **

"**Harry!" he said, smiling as he looked up. "How are you?" **

"**Fine, thanks," said Harry as he, Ron, and Hermione joined Mr. Weasley with their shopping. **

**Mr. Weasley put down his paper, and Harry saw the now familiar picture of Sirius Black staring up at him. **

Sirius grimaces here, before stating, "It was a horrible photo, wasn't it."

"**They still haven't caught him, then?" he asked. **

"**No," said Mr. Weasley, looking extremely grave. "They've pulled us all off our regular jobs at the Ministry to try and find him, but no luck so far." **

"**Would we get a reward if we caught him?" asked Ron. "It'd be good to get some more money —" **

"**Don't be ridiculous, Ron," said Mr. Weasley, who on closer inspection looked very strained. "Black's not going to be caught by a thirteen-year-old wizard. It's the Azkaban guards who'll get him back, you mark my words." **

Arthur snorted here, shaking his head before the snort turned into full throttle laughter. "I shouldn't have said that, should I. Cause then—" he starts, before stopping due to hiccoughs.

**At that moment Mrs. Weasley entered the bar, laden with shopping bags and followed by the twins, Fred and George, who were about to start their fifth year at Hogwarts; the newly elected Head Boy, Percy; and the Weasleys' youngest child and only girl, Ginny. Ginny, who had always been very taken with Harry, seemed even more heartily embarrassed than usual when she saw him, perhaps because he had saved her life during their previous year at Hogwarts. She went very red and muttered "hello" without looking at him. Percy, however, held out his hand solemnly as though he and Harry had never met and said, "Harry. How nice to see you." **

"**Hello, Percy," said Harry, trying not to laugh. **

"I don't know if it was because of Percy, Ginny, or both." He laughs.

"Probably both, mate." Dean replies, smirking.

"**I hope you're well?" said Percy pompously, shaking hands. It was rather like being introduced to the mayor. **

"**Very well, thanks —" **

"**Harry!" said Fred, elbowing Percy out of the way and bowing deeply. "Simply **_**splendid **_**to see you, old boy —"**

Many people laughed here, while James shook his head. "They remind me of Sirius and myself."

"**Marvelous," said George, pushing Fred aside and seizing Harry's hand in turn. "Absolutely spiffing." **

**Percy scowled. **

"**That's enough, now," said Mrs. Weasley. **

"**Mum!" said Fred, as though he'd only just spotted her and seizing her hand, too. "How really corking to see you —" **

"Oh man, you guys are comedians. You should open your own joke shop!" Lily laughs.

"Absolutely not!" Molly snarls, while the twins look at Harry with wide eyes, who tries not to laugh in return.

"**I said, that's enough," said Mrs. Weasley, depositing her shopping in an empty chair. "Hello, Harry, dear. I suppose you've heard our exciting news?" She pointed to the brand-new silver badge on Percy's chest. "Second Head Boy in the family!" she said, swelling with pride. **

"**And last," Fred muttered under his breath. **

"**I don't doubt that," said Mrs. Weasley, frowning suddenly. "I notice they haven't made you two prefects." **

"It's like she's completely forgotten about me." Ron grins, while Harry grimaces and Hermione holds his hand solemnly.

"**What do we want to be prefects for?" said George, looking revolted at the very idea. "It'd take all the fun out of life." **

**Ginny giggled. **

"**You want to set a better example for your sister!" snapped Mrs. Weasley. **

"**Ginny's got other brothers to set her an example, Mother," said Percy loftily. "I'm going up to change for dinner…" **

**He disappeared and George heaved a sigh. **

"**We tried to shut him in a pyramid," he told Harry. "But Mum spotted us." **

"Awh, shucks." Harry laughs.

**Dinner that night was a very enjoyable affair. Tom the innkeeper put three tables together in the parlor, and the seven Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione ate their way through five delicious courses. **

"**How're we getting to King's Cross tomorrow, Dad?" asked Fred as they dug into a sumptuous chocolate pudding. **

"**The Ministry's providing a couple of cars," said Mr. Weasley. **

**Everyone looked up at him.**

"**Why?" said Percy curiously. **

"**It's because of you, Perce," said George seriously. "And there'll be little flags on the hoods, with HB on them—" **

"— **for Humongous Bighead," said Fred. **

**Everyone except Percy and Mrs. Weasley snorted into their pudding. **

"ARTHUR!" Molly shouts, crossing her arms, while Arthur tries not to laugh.

"**Why are the Ministry providing cars, Father?" Percy asked again, in a dignified voice. **

"**Well, as we haven't got one anymore," said Mr. Weasley, "and as I work there, they're doing me a favor…" **

**His voice was casual, but Harry couldn't help noticing that Mr. Wesley's ears had gone red, just like Ron's did when he was under pressure. **

"Harry, why do you have to be so damn observant?" Arthur questions, his ears going red once more, causing many people to laugh.

"**Good thing, too," said Mrs. Weasley briskly. "Do you realize how much luggage you've all got between you? A nice sight you'd be on the Muggle Underground… You are all packed, aren't you?" **

"**Ron hasn't put all his new things in his trunk yet," said Percy, in a long-suffering voice. "He's dumped them on my bed." **

"**You'd better go and pack properly, Ron, because we won't have much time in the morning," Mrs. Weasley called down the table. Ron scowled at Percy. **

"No wonder he's sitting next to Fudge," Lily snorts, while Percy and Molly look at her with wide eyes.

**After dinner everyone felt very full and sleepy. One by one they made their way upstairs to their rooms to check their things for the next day. Ron and Percy were next door to Harry. He had just closed and locked his own trunk when he heard angry voices through the wall, and went to see what was going on. **

**The door of number twelve was ajar and Percy was shouting. **

"**It was **_**here**_**, on the bedside table, I took it off for polishing —" **

"**I haven't touched it, all right?" Ron roared back. **

"**What's up?" said Harry. **

"**My Head Boy badge is gone," said Percy, rounding on Harry. **

"Now, don't you go rounding on my son. He had nothing to do with it!' James says, frowning slightly. "It was probably the twins, so you shouldn't have automatically blamed Ron, either."

"**So's Scabbers's Rat Tonic," said Ron, throwing things out of his trunk to look. "I think I might've left it in the bar —"**

"**You're not going anywhere till you've found my badge!" yelled Percy. **

"**I'll get Scabbers's stuff, I'm packed," Harry said to Ron, and he went downstairs. **

**Harry was halfway along the passage to the bar, which was now very dark, when he heard another pair of angry voices coming from the parlor. A second later, he recognized them as Mr. and Mrs. Weasleys'. **

"Harry, don't eavesdrop. You have no right to do so." Molly says, trying to calm down but not doing a good job at it.

**He hesitated, not wanting them to know he'd heard them arguing, when the sound of his own name made him stop, then move closer to the parlor door. **

"Looks like he has a right now," Sirius snorts, while Molly glares and Harry looks on, recognizing the look in Molly's eyes from the summer.

"… **makes no sense not to tell him," Mr. Weasley was saying heatedly. "Harry's got a right to know. I've tried to tell Fudge, but he insists on treating Harry like a child. He's thirteen years old and —" **

"True that, Arthur." James states, pounding his fist on the table in agreement.

"**Arthur, the truth would terrify him!" said Mrs. Weasley shrilly. **

"More like anger me. Don't act like you know how I'd feel, please." Harry mumbles, crossing his arms.

"**Do you really want to send Harry back to school with that hanging over him? For heaven's sake, he's **_**happy **_**not knowing!" **

"Please, I was _already _worried. Assuming." Harry snarls, his eyes wide with annoyance while Sirius tries to calm him down.

"**I don't want to make him miserable, I want to put him on his guard!" retorted Mr. Weasley. **

"**You know what Harry and Ron are like, wandering off by themselves — they've ended up in the Forbidden Forest twice! But Harry mustn't do that this year! When I think what could have happened to him that night he ran away from home! If the Knight Bus hadn't picked him up, I'm prepared to bet he would have been dead before the Ministry found him." **

"**But he's **_**not **_**dead, he's fine, so what's the point —" **

"**Molly, they say Sirius Black's mad, and maybe he is, but he was clever enough to escape from Azkaban, and that's supposed to be impossible. It's been three weeks, and no one's seen hide nor hair of him, and I don't care what Fudge keeps telling the **_**Daily Prophet**_**, we're no nearer catching Black than inventing self-spelling wands. The only thing we know for sure is what Black's after —" **

"You guys really love to assume, don't you?" Sirius mutters, mostly trying to get Harry to calm down to really pay attention to his words.

"**But Harry will be perfectly safe at Hogwarts." **

"**We thought Azkaban was perfectly safe. If Black can break out of Azkaban, he can break into Hogwarts." **

"**But no one's really sure that Black's after Harry —" **

**There was a thud on wood, and Harry was sure Mr. Weasley had banged his fist on the table. **

"Molly, even though I wasn't, anyone with the right evidence, could think that I was. Please get your nose out of la la land." Sirius states, looking up before putting an arm around his godson to comfort him.

"**Molly, how many times do I have to tell you? They didn't report it in the press because Fudge wanted it kept quiet, but Fudge went out to Azkaban the night Black escaped. The guards told Fudge that Blacks been talking in his sleep for a while now. Always the same words: 'He's at Hogwarts… he's at Hogwarts.' Black is deranged, Molly, and he wants Harry dead. If you ask me, he thinks murdering Harry will bring You-Know-Who back to power. Black lost everything the night Harry stopped You-Know-Who, and he's had twelve years alone in Azkaban to brood on that…" **

**There was a silence. Harry leaned still closer to the door, desperate to hear more. **

"**Well, Arthur, you must do what you think is right. But you're forgetting Albus Dumbledore. I don't think anything could hurt Harry at Hogwarts while Dumbledore's Headmaster. I suppose he knows about all this?" **

"**Of course he knows. We had to ask him if he minds the Azkaban guards stationing themselves around the entrances to the school grounds. He wasn't happy about it, but he agreed." **

"**Not happy? Why shouldn't he be happy, if they're there to catch Black?" **

"**Dumbledore isn't fond of the Azkaban guards," said Mr. Weasley heavily. "Nor am I, if it comes to that… but when you're dealing with a wizard like Black, you sometimes have to join forces with those you'd rather avoid." **

Sirius shudders at the mention of the guards, as does Harry, and James looks on at them, wondering what the story behind that was.

"**If they save Harry —" **

"– **then I will never say another word against them," said Mr. Weasley wearily. "It's late, Molly, we'd better go up…" **

**Harry heard chairs move. As quietly as he could, he hurried down the passage to the bar and out of sight. The parlor door opened, and a few seconds later footsteps told him that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were climbing the stairs. **

**The bottle of rat tonic was lying under the table they had sat at earlier. Harry waited until he heard Mr. and Mrs. Wesley's bedroom door close, then headed back upstairs with the bottle. **

**Fred and George were crouching in the shadows on the landing, heaving with laughter as they listened to Percy dismantling his and Ron's room in search of his badge. **

"**We've got it," Fred whispered to Harry. "We've been improving it." **

**The badge now read **_**Bighead Boy**_**. Harry forced a laugh, went to give Ron the rat tonic, then shut himself in his room and lay down on his bed. **

"I found it funny, I just had other things on my mind." Harry shrugs, sheepishly grinning.

**So Sirius Black was after him. This explained everything. Fudge had been lenient with him because he was so relieved to find him alive. He'd made Harry promise to stay in Diagon Alley where there were plenty of wizards to keep an eye on him. And he was sending two Ministry cars to take them all to the station tomorrow, so that the Weasleys could look after Harry until he was on the train. **

"Good deduction, Potter."

**Harry lay listening to the muffled shouting next door and wondered why he didn't feel more scared. Sirius Black had murdered thirteen people with one curse; Mr. and Mrs. Weasley obviously thought Harry would be panic-stricken if he knew the truth. But Harry happened to agree wholeheartedly with Mrs. Weasley that the safest place on earth was wherever Albus Dumbledore happened to be. Didn't people always say that Dumbledore was the only person Lord Voldemort had ever been afraid of? Surely Black, as Voldemort's right-hand man, would be just as frightened of him? **

"Only thing that frightens me kiddo are the Dementors and you dying." Sirius says, grinning while Harry laughs at his godfather.

**And then there were these Azkaban guards everyone kept talking about. They seemed to scare most people senseless, and if they were stationed all around the school, Black's chances of getting inside seemed very remote. **

**No, all in all, the thing that bothered Harry most was the fact that his chances of visiting Hogsmeade now looked like zero. Nobody would want Harry to leave the safety of the castle until Black was caught; in fact, Harry suspected his every move would be carefully watched until the danger had passed. **

"Are you serious?" Lily questions.

"No, don't make the Sirius/Serious joke, son. You find out you have a supposed mass-murderer after you and you're worried about not getting to Hogsmeade? You are a lot like your father." Lily states, while Harry shrinks back and feels sick and James snorts.

"I s'pose he's not use to loving reprimanding?"

**He scowled at the dark ceiling. Did they think he couldn't look after himself? He'd escaped Lord Voldemort three times; he wasn't completely useless… **

"HERE HERE!' The twins shouted, laughing.

**Unbidden, the image of the beast in the shadows of Magnolia Crescent crossed his mind**_**. What to do when you know the worst is coming… **_

"**I'm **_**not **_**going to be murdered," Harry said out loud. **

"**That's the spirit, dear," said his mirror sleepily.**

Many people laughed, while Bill closes the book and lets it fly away.


	44. Chapter 44

**Authors Note: **Hey guys! So sorry about the wait. I hope you enjoy this long-ass chapter, and I will probably update once more this week. Thanks to those who reviews and left messages and I hope everyone is alright from Hurricane Sandy. :)

* * *

Bill, and everyone else, watched as the book floated over to Ginny, who took it without preamble and opened to the next chapter, the book quivering in her hands, like it was wary of her.

**CHAPTER FIVE, The Dementor **

"What does it mean, the dementor?" Lily questions softly, not liking the sound of the chapter already, with only the title having been said so far. James shrugs, biting his lip in his own worry.

**Tom woke Harry the next morning with his usual toothless grin and a cup of tea.**

"Because that's not creepy or anything." Fred snorts, shaking his head while Harry smiles.

**Harry got dressed and was just persuading a disgruntled Hedwig to get back into her cage when Ron banged his way into the room, pulling a sweatshirt over his head and looking irritable. **

"Isn't he always?" Luna sighs while Ron blushes.

"**The sooner we get on the train, the better," he said. "At least I can get away from Percy at Hogwarts. Now he's accusing me of dripping tea on his photo of Penelope Clearwater. You know," Ron grimaced, "his girlfriend. She's hidden her face under the frame because her nose has gone all blotchy…"**

"I don't know if I should aww or roll my eyes," James mumbles.

"Do both!" The twins shout, smirking.

"**I've got something to tell you," Harry began, but they were interrupted by Fred and George, who had looked in to congratulate Ron on infuriating Percy again.**

"Probably!" The twins grin while Molly tries her hardest not to glare at Lily, who laughed at the twins and their antics.

**They headed down to breakfast, where Mr. Weasley was reading the front page of the **_**Daily Prophet **_**with a furrowed brow and Mrs. Weasley was telling Hermione and Ginny about a love potion she'd made as a young girl. All three of them were rather giggly. **

Harry scrunched up his face and looked toward his girlfriend, his eyebrow arched in surprise. She chuckled lightly, running her fingers through her hair in a nervous habit. At the same time, Lily had widened her eyes before looking towards Molly.

"Why would you tell them a story like that? Merlin's beard, why would you do something like that yourself? Were you desperate or something?" Lily questioned, her eyes widening at what she last said before continuing.

"And not only that, but why would you do –" Lily starts, only to be interrupted by James, trying to calm her down.

"We'll never understand Lils, so just let it be."

"**What were you saying?" Ron asked Harry as they sat down. **

"**Later," Harry muttered as Percy stormed in. **

"You two sure do get interrupted a lot," Remus snorts, shaking his head at his own joke, causing Sirius to snort in return and Harry to roll his eyes.

**Harry had no chance to speak to Ron or Hermione in the chaos of leaving; they were too busy heaving all their trunks down the Leaky Cauldron's narrow staircase and piling them up near the door, with Hedwig and Hermes, Percy's screech owl, perched on top in their cages. A small wickerwork basket stood beside the heap of trunks, spitting loudly. **

"I take it Crookshanks is in the basket," James grins, his eyes wide.

"**It's all right, Crookshanks," Hermione cooed through the wickerwork. "I'll let you out on the train." **

"That must be fun!" Lily laughs.

"**You won't," snapped Ron. "What about poor Scabbers, eh?"**

"Who cares about Scabbers?!" Ron nearly shouts, surprising many people, confusing them in the process once they look at Pettigrew shuddering.

**He pointed at his chest, where a large lump indicated that Scabbers was curled up in his pocket. **

"Wish he hadn't been so damn close, either." Ron grumbles while Sirius smiles apologetically at him.

**Mr. Weasley, who had been outside waiting for the Ministry cars, stuck his head inside. **

"**They're here," he said. "Harry, come on." **

"How nice of you, Arthur." Lily smiles, picking at her plate, curious as to how she could touch something as simple as a fork, but not hug her family and friends.

**Mr. Weasley marched Harry across the short stretch of pavement toward the first of two old-fashioned dark green cars, each of which was driven by a furtive-looking wizard wearing a suit of emerald velvet. **

"Why does everything have to match my eyes?" Harry mumbles, tilting his head curiously.

"**In you get, Harry," said Mr. Weasley, glancing up and down the crowded street. **

"Man, you were really paranoid." Sirius snorts, shaking his head while Harry smiles slightly.

**Harry got into the back of the car and was shortly joined by Hermione, Ron, and, to Ron's disgust, Percy. **

"Jeeze, thanks." Percy snorts angrily, while Ron rolls his eyes.

"At least I never abandoned my family!" Ron snaps, his fists clenched.

**The journey to King's Cross was very uneventful compared with Harry's trip on the Knight Bus. **

"Anything would be uneventful compared to a trip on the Knight Bus, Potter." Snape snorts , rolling his eyes.

**The Ministry of Magic cars seemed almost ordinary. Though Harry noticed that they could slide through gaps that Uncle Vernon's new company car certainly couldn't have managed.**

"That's magic, son," James smiles and Harry looks down, sill not use to the endearments.

**They reached King's Cross with twenty minutes to spare; the Ministry drivers found them trolleys, unloaded their trunks, touched their hats in salute to Mr. Weasley, and drove away, somehow managing to jump to the head of an unmoving line at the traffic lights. **

"Much less chaotic than the previous year," James snorts and Harry smiles.

**Mr. Weasley kept close to Harry's elbow all the way into the station. **

"You know, if I didn't like you Arthur, I'd be a little offended," Sirius laughs while Harry smiles, glad his godfather is truly being happy.

"**Right then," he said, glancing around them. "Let's do this in pairs, as there are so many of us. I'll go through first with Harry." **

"That's kind of getting a little annoying, actually." James mumbles, wrinkling his nose while Arthur blushes slightly.

**Mr. Weasley strolled toward the barrier between platforms nine and ten, pushing Harry's trolley and apparently very interested in the InterCity 125 that had just arrived at platform nine. With a meaningful look at Harry, he leaned casually against the barrier. Harry imitated him. **

"This outta be interesting," Lily smiles, shaking her head in affection while Sirius snorts, not really looking forward to the rest of the book already.

**In a moment, they had fallen sideways through the solid metal onto platform nine and three-quarters and looked up to see the Hogwarts Express, a scarlet steam engine, puffing smoke over a platform packed with witches and wizards seeing their children onto the train. **

"Awh, do I ever miss that sight." James groans while many other of the ghosts nod their heads in agreement, all remembering their times at the school.

**Percy and Ginny suddenly appeared behind Harry. They were panting and had apparently taken the barrier at a run. **

"I myself always used a light jog," Remus states, looking thoughtful.

"**Ah, there's Penelope!" said Percy, smoothing his hair and going pink again.**

Many people snorted while shaking their heads as Percy went pink once more.

**Ginny caught Harry's eye, and they both turned away to hide their laughter as Percy strode over to a girl with long, curly hair, walking with his chest thrown out so that she couldn't miss his shiny badge. **

"That's what you tried to impress her with? Are you serious?" James snorts, before continuing, "And no Sirius, we know, he's not." Only to be surprised by his best friend frowning, in turn making James frown and look towards his wife, who can only shrug.

**Once the remaining Weasleys and Hermione had joined them, Harry and Mr. Weasley led the way to the end of the train, past packed compartments, to a carriage that looked quite empty. They loaded the trunks onto it, stowed Hedwig and Crookshanks in the luggage rack, then went back outside to say goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. **

**Mrs. Weasley kissed all her children, then Hermione, and finally Harry. He was embarrassed, but really quite pleased, when she gave him an extra hug. **

Quiet sniffles could be heard coming from Lily and when he looked up, Harry could see his father trying to comfort her.

"**Do take care, won't you Harry?" she said as she straightened up, her eyes oddly bright. Then she opened her enormous handbag and said, "I've made you all sandwiches. Here you are, Ron… no, they're not corned beef… Fred? Where's Fred? Here you are dear…" **

"How efficient," Snape says dryly the same James does, causing the Slytherin to glare.

"**Harry," said Mr. Weasley quietly, "come over here for a moment." **

"Arthur!" Molly snarls at that, causing the older man to flinch slightly.

**He jerked his head towards a pillar, and Harry followed him behind it, leaving the others crowded around Mrs. Weasley. **

"**There's something I've got to tell you before you leave —" said Mr. Weasley in a tense voice. **

"**It's all right, Mr. Weasley," said Harry, "I already know." **

"That really shocked me, actually."

"**You know? How could you know?" **

"**I — er — I heard you and Mrs. Wesley talking last night. I couldn't help hearing," Harry added quickly. "Sorry —" **

"Such a little Marauder," Lily says silently, smirking.

"**That's not the way I'd have chosen for you to find out," said Mr. Weasley looking anxious.**

"Yeah, I wouldn't either. I would've just come out and told him." James states, while Lily nods her head in agreement and Sirius can feel himself smirking, suddenly excited for the fifth book.

"**No — honestly it'sokay. This way, you haven't broken your word to Fudge and I know what's going on." **

"Lily's intelligence, of course." James grins.

"**Harry, you must be scared — " **

"Were you?" Lily questions, turning towards him, while he shook his head.

"I had already faced Voldemort enough times that I didn't really have a fear," He shrugs, while many people look at him in confusion.

"**I'm not," said Harry sincerely. "**_**Really**_**," he added, because Mr. Weasley was looking disbelieving. "I'm not trying to be a hero, but seriously, Sirius Black can't be worse than Lord Voldemort, can he?" **

"And he definitely isn't," Harry snorts, grinning at his godfather who ruffles his hair and grins back.

**Mr. Weasley flinched at the sound of the name, but overlooked it. **

"My god, you're going to need to stop that soon," Lily mutters, grinning, having spent way too much time with her husband.

"**Harry, I knew you were, well, made of stronger stuff than Fudge seems to think, and I'm obviously pleased that you're not scared, but —"**

"But clearly someone thinks Harry can't handle himself!" One of the twins – Harry assumed George – interrupted, smirking.

"**Arthur!" called Mrs. Weasley, who was now shepherding the rest onto the train. "Arthur, what are you doing? It's about to go!" **

"Please not another flying car incident!" Lily groans, biting her lip as many others laugh.

"**He's coming Molly!" said Mr. Weasley, but he turned back to Harry and kept talking in a lower and more hurried voice, "Listen, I want you to give me your word —" **

" — **that I'll be a good boy and stay in the castle?" said Harry gloomily. **

"Gloomily?" James interrupts, arching an eyebrow before continuing, 'Sounds like Sirius with his parents' house!" Causing many of the order members to snort.

"**Not entirely," said Mr. Weasley, who looked more serious than Harry had ever seen him. **

"**Harry, swear to me you won't go **_**looking **_**for Black." **

"Why does everyone think I go looking for trouble?" Harry can be heard muttering, causing many of his fellow Gryffindors to smirk and laugh.

"Because you're a pompous, arrogant—" Snape starts.

"STOP confusing me with the attitude of my fifteen year old father, Snape!" Harry interrupts, tired of his comments already.

"Professor, Harry."

"Dumbledore, I won't be calling him professor because I don't respect him enough to call him that! He's a snivelling greasy-haired bitter git who can't move on." Harry thrashes out, causing many people to open their mouths in shock, Hermione to cat call, the twins to clap and Lily to giggle into James' shoulders.

"Harry Potter, that is no way to talk to your elders!" Molly scolds, effectively ruining any kind of laughter that was going on, causing Lily to snarl and Ginny to continue reading to avoid any kind of disaster.

**Harry stared, "What!" **

**There was a loud whistle. Guards were walking along the train, slamming all the doors shut. **

"**Promise me, Harry," said Mr. Weasley, talking more quickly still, "that whatever happens —" **

"**Why would I go looking for someone I know wants to kill me?" said Harry blankly. **

Sirius flinches at this line and Harry hugs him lightly.

"**Swear to me that whatever you might hear —" **

"Why doesn't anyone tell our son anything?" James questions while shaking his head in exasperation.

"**Arthur, quickly!" cried Mrs. Weasley. **

"Yes, Arthur, don't wanna upset the spouse who wears the pants," Tonks mumbles, smirking while a red Arthur turns even more red than before.

**Steam was billowing from the train it had started to move. Harry ran to the compartment door and Ron threw it open and stood back to let him on. They leaned out of the window and waved at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley until the train turned a corner and blocked them from view. **

"How idealistic," Lily snorts while James smirks and Sirius laughs.

"**I need to talk to you in private," Harry muttered to Ron and Hermione as the train picked up speed. **

"**Go away, Ginny," said Ron. **

"Oh, so nice Ron." Neville mumbles causing Ginny to laugh a little.

"**Oh, that's nice," said Ginny huffily, and she stalked off. **

Many people laughed while Neville looked down, turning red.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione set off down the corridor, looking for an empty compartment, but all were full except for the one at the very end of the train. **

"HARRY THIS IS THE CHAPTER!' Hermione begins, surprising Harry as she stood up suddenly in her excitement.

"Yes, 'Mione, it is." He smirks, causing many to wonder what was included in this chapter

**This had only one occupant, a man sitting fast asleep next to the window. Harry, Ron, and Hermione checked on the threshold. The Hogwarts Express was usually reserved for students and they had never seen an adult there before, except for the witch who pushed the food cart. **

"You know, even when we went to school, we never saw an adult other than good old Margery Jean1 on the Express," James states, his head tilted slightly.

**The stranger was wearing an extremely shabby set of wizard's robes that had been darned in several places. He looked ill and exhausted. Though quite young, his light brown hair was flecked with gray. **

"OH!" Lily interrupts, eyes wide as she looks over to a blushing Remus, and nudges James, who smiles slightly.

"**Who d'you reckon he is?" Ron hissed as they sat down and slid the door shut, taking the seats farthest away from the window. **

"**Professor R. J. Lupin." whispered Hermione at once. **

"**How'd you know that?" **

Many snorts could be heard around the room as people shook their heads at Ron, who also blushed.

"**It's on his case," she replied, pointing at the luggage rack over the man's head, where there was a small, battered case held together with a large quantity of neatly knotted string. The name Professor R. J. Lupin was stamped across one corner in peeling letters. **

"Harry. Stop being so damn observant," Remus mutters causing Harry and Sirius to snort.

"**Wonder what he teaches?" said Ron, frowning at Professor Lupin's pallid profile. **

"Ron, that's kind of obvious." Fred laughs.

"**That's obvious," whispered Hermione. "There's only one vacancy, isn't there? Defense Against the Dark Arts." **

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione had already had two Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, both of whom had lasted only one year. There were rumors that the job was jinxed.**

"I'm pretty sure it is, actually." Someone mutters.

"**Well, I hope he's up to it," said Ron doubtfully. "He looks like one good hex would finish him off, doesn't he? Anyway…" he turned to Harry, "what were you going to tell us?"**

"Ronald!" Molly snaps, annoyed while Remus smirks.

**Harry explained all about Mr. and Mrs. Wesley's argument and the warning Mr. Weasley had just given him. When he'd finished, Ron looked thunderstruck, and Hermione had her hands over her mouth. She finally lowered them to say, "Sirius Black escaped to come after **_**you**_**? Oh, Harry… you'll have to be really, really careful. don't go looking for trouble, Harry…" **

"Again with the trouble!' Harry throws his hands up in the air before slouching causing everyone to laugh and Sirius to give his godson a noogie, making a small playful fight start out.

"**I don't go looking for trouble," said Harry, nettled. "Trouble usually finds **_**me**_**." **

"**How thick would Harry have to be, to go looking for a nutter who wants to kill him?" said Ron shakily. **

"I s'pose I _am _a nutter," Sirius grins, trying to take everything in stride.

**They were taking the news worse than Harry had expected. Both Ron and Hermione seemed to be much more frightened of Black than he was. **

"Well, yeah!" Ron interrupts, his eyes wide.

"**No one knows how he got out of Azkaban," said Ron uncomfortably. "No one's ever done it before. And he was a top-security prisoner too." **

"I was." Sirius states, shuddering slightly.

"**But they'll catch him, won't they?" said Hermione earnestly. "I mean, they've got all the Muggles looking out for him too…" **

"If he escaped Azkaban? Highly doubtful," James grins, his eyes wide with pride over his best friend before glaring towards Peter, who flinches.

"**What's that noise?" said Ron suddenly. **

"There's a noise?"

**A faint, tinny sort of whistle was coming from somewhere. They looked all around the compartment. **

"**It's coming from your trunk, Harry," said Ron, standing up and reaching into the luggage rack. A moment later he had pulled the Pocket Sneakoscope out from between Harry's robes. It was spinning very fast in the palm of Ron's hand and glowing brilliantly. **

Many people snorted, shaking their heads.

"**Is that a **_**Sneakoscope**_**?" said Hermione interestedly, standing up for a better look. **

"**Yeah… mind you, it's a very cheap one," Ron said. "It went haywire just as I was tying it to Errol's leg to send it to Harry." **

"**Were you doing anything untrustworthy at the time?" said Hermione shrewdly. **

"**No! Well… I wasn't supposed to be using Errol. You know he's not really up to long journeys… but how else was I supposed to get Harry's present to him?" **

"**Stick it back in the trunk," Harry advised as the Sneakoscope whistled piercingly, "or it'll wake him up." **

"How nice of you, son." James snorts.

**He nodded toward Professor Lupin. Ron stuffed the Sneakoscope into a particularly horrible pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks, which deadened the sound, then closed the lid of the trunk on it. **

"**We could get it checked in Hogsmeade," said Ron, sitting back down. "They sell that sort of thing in Dervish and Banges, magical instruments and stuff. Fred and George told me." **

"Do you boys tell your brother a lot of things?" Molly grumbles, looking worse for wear.

"**Do you know much about Hogsmeade?" asked Hermione keenly. "I've read it's the only entirely non-Muggle settlement in Britain —" **

"**Yeah, I think it is," said Ron in an offhand sort of way. "but that's not why I want to go. I just want to get inside Honeydukes!" **

"**What's that?" said Hermione.**

"**It's this sweetshop," said Ron, a dreamy look coming over his face, "where they've got **_**everything**_**… Pepper Imps — they make you smoke at the mouth — and great fat Chocoballs full of strawberry mousse and clotted cream, and really excellent sugar quills, which you can suck in class and just look like you're thinking what to write next–" **

"I can imagine that Harry got extremely grumpy after this discussion." Lily grimaces, while the two friends nod their heads.

"**But Hogsmeade's a very interesting place, isn't it?" Hermione pressed on eagerly. "In **_**Sites of Historical Sorcery **_**it says the inn was the headquarters for the 1612 goblin rebellion, and the Shrieking Shack's supposed to be the most severely haunted building in Britain —" **

The whole group snorted at this sentence, realizing what was actually doing the haunting, causing Remus to smirk.

"– **and massive sherbet balls that make you levitate a few inches off the ground while you're sucking them," said Ron, who was plainly not listening to a word Hermione was saying. **

"And people think they're perfect for one another?" James interrupted, confusion written all over his face as Lily snorted.

**Hermione looked around at Harry. **

"**Won't it be nice to get out of school for a bit and explore Hogsmeade?" **

"You were fishing." Lily breaths, proud of the young female.

"Definitely. Harry was _way _too quiet during that moment."

"'**Spect it will," said Harry heavily. "You'll have to tell me when you've found out." **

"**What d'you mean?" said Ron. **

"**I can't go. The Dursleys didn't sign my permission form, and Fudge wouldn't either." **

**Ron looked horrified. **

As did James. "WHERE IS IT? I WILL SIGN IT RIGHT THIS INSTANT. MY OWN SON NOT GO TO HOGSMEADE? THE—" He begins only to be silenced by his wife, with a roll of her eyes.

"_**You're not allowed to come**_**? But — no way — McGonagall or someone will give you permission —" **

**Harry gave a hollow laugh. Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house, was very strict. **

"I really was sorry Potter," McGonagall states, looking remorseful while Harry nods his head.

"– **or we can ask Fred and George, they know every secret passage out of the castle —" **

"TOO RIGHT!"

"And we did help!"

"Definitely;"

"And I thank you for that." Harry grinned, fist-pumping Fred and high-fiving George.

"**Ron!" said Hermione sharply. "I don't think Harry should be sneaking out of the school with Black on the loose —" **

"**Yeah, I expect that's what McGonagall will say when I ask of permission," said Harry bitterly. **

"**But if **_**we're **_**with him," said Ron spiritedly to Hermione. "Black wouldn't dare —" **

"He's a mass murderer, of course he would!" Percy interrupts snobbishly while many people turn to him, surprise all over their faces.

"It's like he can't tell how close Harry and Sirius are." Luna states, while Ginny goes back to reading.

"**Oh, Ron, don't talk rubbish," snapped Hermione. "Black's already murdered a whole bunch of people in the middle of a crowded street, do you really think he's going to worry about attacking Harry just because **_**we're **_**there?" **

**She was fumbling with the straps of Crookshanks's basket as she spoke. **

"I was nervous. I don't like thinking about Harry getting killed." She mumbles, while Harry squeezes her hand in support.

"**Don't let that thing out!" Ron said, but too late; Crookshanks leapt lightly from the basket, stretched, yawned, and sprang onto Ron's knees; the lump in Ron's pocket trembled and he shoved Crookshanks angrily away. **

"He deserved it!" Harry snarls as Sirius tries to calm him down.

"**Get out of it!" **

"**Ron, don't!" said Hermione angrily. Ron was about to answer back when Professor Lupin stirred. They watched him apprehensively, but he simply turned his head the other way, mouth slightly open, and slept on. **

"Remus was always a light sleeper though." Lily frowns.

"I was _really _tired that day." He sighs, shaking his head as he briefly remembered the night before.

**The Hogwarts Express moved steadily north and the scenery outside the window became wilder and darker while the clouds overhead thickened overhead. People were chasing backwards and forwards past the door of their compartment. Crookshanks had now settled in an empty seat, his squashed face turned towards Ron, his yellow eyes on Ron's top pocket. **

**At one o'clock the plump witch with the food cart arrived at the compartment door. **

"**D'you think we should wake him up?" Ron asked awkwardly, nodding towards Professor Lupin. "He looks like he could do with some food." **

**Hermione approached Professor Lupin cautiously. **

"**Er — Professor?" she said. "Excuse me — Professor?" **

Remus snorted at this. "I actually heard you say that!"

**He didn't move. **

"**Don't worry, dear," said the witch, as she handed a large stack of cauldron cakes. "If he's hungry when he wakes, I'll be up front with the driver." **

"Remember when you guys thought they were having an affair?" Lily snorts shaking her head as James bursts out laughing and Harry scrunches his nose up in disgust at the thought.

"**I suppose he **_**is **_**asleep?" said Ron quietly, as the witch slid the compartment door closed. "I mean — he hasn't died, has he?" **

"That would be one hell of a way to start off a new year!" Dean smirks, his eyes wide with mirth.

"**No, no, he's breathing," whispered Hermione, taking the cauldron cake Harry passed her. **

**He might not be very good company, but Professor Lupin's presence in their compartment had its uses. **

"How so?" James snorted.

**Mid-afternoon, just as it had started to rain, blurring the rolling hills outside the window, they heard footsteps outside in the corridor again, and their three least favorite people appeared at the door: Draco Malfoy, flanked by his cronies, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Draco Malfoy and Harry had been enemies ever since they had met on their very first journey to Hogwarts. **

"Lovely. Please tell me you have a nickname for the git?" James questions, his smile wide.

"Ferret." Harry replies, before slightly glaring. "But I wouldn't turn him upside down with my wand and taunt him either." He states, causing James to open his mouth in surprise, Lily to laugh at her husband, Snape's eyes to go wide, and Sirius to shudder.

"Be thankful you weren't around for when he found that out, mate."

**Malfoy, who had a pale, pointed, sneering face, was in Slytherin house; he played Seeker on the Slytherin Quidditch team, the same position that Harry played on the Gryffindor team. Crabbe and Goyle seemed to exist to do Malfoy's bidding. They were both wide and muscley; Crabbe was taller, with a pudding-bowl haircut and a very thick neck; Goyle had short, bristly hair and long, gorilla arms. **

Scattered laughter could be heard, not many people interested in the same discussion as the previous books.

"**Well, look who it is," said Malfoy in his usual lazy drawl, pulling open the compartment door. "Potty and the Weasel." **

"Is that the best you could do?" Narcissa questioned, her head tilted in slight disgust at her own son, causing him to blush furiously.

**Crabbe and Goyle chuckled trollishly. **

"**I heard your father finally got his hands on some gold this summer, Weasley," said Malfoy. "Did your mother die of shock?" **

Many growls could be heard from the Weasley family at this line.

**Ron stood up so quickly he knocked Crookshanks's basket to the floor. Professor Lupin gave a snort. **

"**Who's that?" said Malfoy, taking an automatic step backward as he spotted Lupin. **

"**New teacher," said Harry, who got to his feet, too, in case he needed to hold Ron back. "What were you saying, Malfoy?" **

"So loyal to one another." James grins while Ron flinches and Harry smiles apologetically.

**Malfoy's pale eyes narrowed; he wasn't fool enough to pick a fight right under a teacher's nose. **

"Because he's too much of a chicken shit!" Lily laughs, clapping in her excitement.

"**C'mon," he muttered resentfully to Crabbe and Goyle, and they disappeared. **

**Harry and Ron sat down again, Ron massaging his knuckles. **

"**I'm not going to take any crap from Malfoy this year," he said angrily. "I mean it. If he makes one more crack about my family, I'm going to get hold of his head and —" **

**Ron made a violent gesture in midair. **

"**Ron," hissed Hermione, pointing at Professor Lupin, "be **_**careful**_**…" **

**But Professor Lupin was still fast asleep. **

"Well, you're so caring," Lily grins, while James snorts and hugs his wife.

"Calm down, love. You're scaring the children."

**The rain thickened as the train sped yet farther north; the windows were now a solid, shimmering gray, which gradually darkened until lanterns flickered into life all along the corridors and over the luggage racks. The train rattled, the rain hammered, the wind roared, but still, Professor Lupin slept. **

"It almost sounds like a horror movie," Someone states in aw.

"**We must be nearly there," said Ron, leaning forward to look past Professor Lupin at the now completely black window. The words had hardly left him when the train started to slow down. **

"Isn't it too soon?" Lily questions, getting a funny feeling in her stomach.

"**Great," said Ron, getting up and walking carefully past Professor Lupin to try and see outside. "I'm starving. I want to get to the feast…"**

"Is all you ever think about food?" Ginny interrupts herself, rolling her eyes when Ron nods slightly.

"**We can't be there yet," said Hermione, checking her watch. **

"**So why're we stopping?" **

"Good question." James whispers, now becoming worried.

**The train was getting slower and slower. As the noise of the pistons fell away, the wind and rain sounded louder than ever against the windows. **

"If I was there, I would shiver." Someone says

"It really is like a horror movie," Another person states.

**Harry, who was nearest the door, got up to look into the corridor. All along the carriage, heads were sticking curiously out of their compartments. **

"Curiosity killed the cat." James whispers, a manic grin on his face as many people turn to stare at him with wide eyes.

"Don't mind him, he just loves horror movies and such," Lily interrupts, rolling her eyes.

**The train came to a stop with a jolt, and distant thuds and bangs told them that luggage had fallen out of the racks. Then, without warning, all the lamps went out and they were plunged into total darkness. **

"Creepy." Lily mutters, shivering slightly as James puts his arm around her shoulder and Snape glares.

"**What's going on?" said Ron's voice from behind Harry. **

"**Ouch!" gasped Hermione. "Ron, that was my foot!" **

"Smooth, Ronald."

**Harry felt his way back to his seat. **

"**D'you think we've broken down?" **

"It's actually impossible for the Express to break down. The creators of the train wanted to make sure that all the students could get to the school on time, and as muggle transportation wasn't exactly well popular at that time, they didn't want anything slowing the pace down." Lily interrupts, causing many people to open their mouths in shock.

"That's something Hermione would've said." Seamus interrupts the same time Neville says blimey.

"**Dunno…" **

**There was a squeaking sound, and Harry saw the dim black outline of Ron, wiping a patch clean on the window and peering out. **

"**There's something moving out there," Ron said. "I think people are coming aboard…" **

"Well, that's never happened before." Lily gasps, suddenly fearful, while James doesn't correct her, as it was the day they lost their best friend.

**The compartment door suddenly opened and someone fell painfully over Harry's legs. **

"Now what?"

"**Sorry! D'you know what's going on? Ouch! Sorry —" **

"Neville? Sorry, it's just. You do seem klutzy," James grins sheepishly shrugging, while Neville smiles.

"**Hullo, Neville," said Harry, feeling around in the dark and pulling Neville up by his cloak. **

"**Harry? Is that you? What's happening?" **

"So much confusion."

"So many questions."

"**No idea! Sit down —" **

**There was a loud hissing and a yelp of pain; Neville had tried to sit on Crookshanks. **

"That wouldn't have been good for the kid."

"Definitely not." Lily grimaces.

"**I'm going to go and ask the driver what's going on," came Hermione's voice. Harry felt her pass him, heard the door slide open again, and then a thud and two loud squeals of pain. **

"Aw, he felt her pass him." James grins.

"But who else could possibly come in now? The compartment would nearly be full!" Lily groans, while many shake their heads, having no clue.

"**Who's that?" **

"**Who's **_**that**_**?" **

"Who's who?!" James shouted, his fingers clenching his hair.

"Calm down, Potter." Lily laughs.

"Only if you calm me down, Mrs. Potter." James grins while many people wrinkle their noses and Harry blushes.

"**Ginny?" **

"Why is this not surprising?"

"**Hermione?" **

"Who else could it possibly have been?"

"**What are you doing?" **

"Looking for her crush?"

"**I was looking for Ron —" **

"Sure you were," Lily scowls while the power flickers and people look up in confusion.

"Hogwarts is obviously liking this story." James snorts.

"**Come in and sit down —" **

"**Not here!" said Harry hurriedly. "I'm here!" **

"I bet she knew where he was, Lily-flower."

"No doubt, Jamie-poo!" Lily hisses, worriness and annoyance making itself known.

"**Ouch!" said Neville. **

"How are you not awake yet, Remus?"

"**Quiet!" said a hoarse voice suddenly. **

"Oh." James grins.

**Professor Lupin appeared to have woken up at last. Harry could hear movements in his corner. **

**None of them spoke. **

"We were kind of feeling guilty for having woken him up." Hermione mutters, with Harry nodding his head.

**There was a soft, crackling noise, and a shivering light filled the compartment. Professor Lupin appeared to be holding a handful of flames. They illuminated his tired, gray face, but his eyes looked alert and wary. **

"Oh Remus." Lily sighs, feeling upset for one of her friends.

"**Stay where you are." he said in the same hoarse voice, and he got slowly to his feet with his handful of fire held out in front of him.**

"How are you not burning yourself?"

**But the door slid slowly open before Lupin could reach it. **

"Uh-oh."

**Standing in the doorway, illuminated by the shivering flames in Lupin's hand, was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. Its face was completely hidden beneath its hood. Harry's eyes darted downward, and what he saw made his stomach contract. There was a hand protruding from the cloak and it was glistening, grayish, slimy-looking, and scabbed, like something dead that had decayed in water… **

"Oh Merlin," Sirius shudders while James grimaces and Lily flinches, knowing without even having met one, that this was a dementor.

**But it was visible only for a split second. As though the creature beneath the cloak sensed Harry's gaze, the hand was suddenly withdrawn into the folds of its black cloak.**

"Good." Sirius growls, tightening his hold on his godson, not wanting to see him hurt in any way.

**And then the thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew a long, slow, rattling breath, as though it were trying to suck something more than air from its surroundings. **

"The fact that you made that observation without even knowing what the blasted thing was Potter, is very impressive." Moody growls, surprising everyone.

**An intense cold swept over them all. Harry felt his own breath catch in his chest. The cold went deeper than his skin. It was inside his chest, it was inside his very heart… **

Sirius could be heard whimpering and with one quick look towards his son and best friend, James realized how badly affected the two of them were by dementors and was suddenly not looking forward to this book much.

**Harry's eyes rolled up into his head. He couldn't see. He was drowning in cold. There was a rushing in his ears as though of water. He was being dragged downward, the roaring growing louder… **

"Oh god," Lily mutters, starting to feel sick.

**And then, from far away, he heard screaming, terrible, terrified, pleading screams. He wanted to help whoever it was, he tried to move his arms, but couldn't… a thick white fog was swirling around him, inside him — **

"Screaming? Who was screaming?" James questions, taken aback while Lily bites her lips and looks towards her son, seeing him being hugged by Sirius and slightly hearing the older man try to calm him down, her bad feeling suddenly back.

"**Harry! Harry! Are you all right?" **

**Someone was slapping his face. **

"Well, that's not exactly nice." James snorts.

"**W-what?" Harry opened his eyes; there were lanterns above him, and the floor was shaking — the Hogwarts Express was moving again and the lights had come back on. He seemed to have slid out of his seat onto the floor. Ron and Hermione were kneeling next to him, and above them he could see Neville and Professor Lupin watching. Harry felt very sick; when he put up his hand to push his glasses back on, he felt cold sweat on his face. **

"After effects are never fun."

**Ron and Hermione heaved him back onto his seat. **

"**Are you okay?" Ron asked nervously. **

"**Yeah," said Harry, looking quickly toward the door. The hooded creature had vanished. **

"Thank god for that," Harry mutters into his godfathers shoulder.

"**What happened? Where's that — that thing? Who screamed?" **

"That's what we all want to know."

"**No one screamed," said Ron, more nervously still. Harry looked around the bright compartment. Ginny and Neville looked back at him, both very pale. **

"**But I heard screaming —" **

**A loud snap made them all jump. Professor Lupin was breaking an enormous slab of chocolate into pieces. **

"Oh geeze, Moony, could you have been a little more terrifying next time?" James says, sighing in relief as he himself had jumped, causing Remus to grin and George to tilt his head.

"Nope."

"**Here," he said to Harry, handing him a particularly large piece. "Eat it. It'll help." **

"Definitely will. Eat it, son."

**Harry took the chocolate but didn't eat it. **

"Harry, eat the chocolate Uncle Remus gives you. He doesn't just go handing out his precious chocolate so easily, you know." Lily grins.

"**What was that thing?" he asked Lupin. **

"**A Dementor," said Lupin, who was now giving chocolate to everyone else. "One of the Dementors of Azkaban." **

More people shuddered here.

**Everyone stared at him. Professor Lupin crumpled up the empty chocolate wrapper and put it in his pocket. **

"**Eat," he repeated. "It'll help. I need to speak to the driver, excuse me…" **

**He strolled past Harry and disappeared into the corridor. **

"**Are you sure you're okay, Harry?" said Hermione, watching Harry anxiously. **

"**I don't get it… what happened?" said Harry, wiping more sweat off his face. **

"None of us get it, kiddo."

"**Well — that thing — the Dementor — stood there and looked around (I mean, I think it did, I couldn't see its face) — and you — you —" **

"**I thought you were having a fit or something," said Ron, who still looked scared. "You went sort of rigid and fell out of your seat and started twitching —" **

"**And Professor Lupin stepped over you, and walked toward the Dementor, and pulled out his wand," said Hermione, "and he said, 'None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go.' But the Dementor didn't move, so Lupin muttered something, and a silvery thing shot out of his wand at it, and it turned around and sort of glided away…" **

"Must've been weird, thinking Sirius was a murderer." James interrupts numbly while both Remus and Sirius and even Peter flinch.

"I've made my apologies, though how Pads will ever forgive me."

"I have and get over it already!"

"**It was horrible," said Neville, in a higher voice than usual. "Did you feel how cold it got when it came in?" **

"It's what they do best."

"**I felt weird," said Ron, shifting his shoulders uncomfortably. "Like I'd never be cheerful again…" **

**Ginny, who was huddled in her corner looking nearly as bad as Harry felt, gave a small sob; Hermione went over and put a comforting arm around her. **

"I was thinking about my possession the previous year. That's the worst memory anyone could ever have." She says, nonthinking, before Hermione snarls and Harry has to hold her back.

"Be careful, Gin." Ron interrupts, rolling his eyes. "There are worse memories you could have." He finishes while James looks on in confusion and Lily gulps.

"**But didn't any of you — fall off your seats?" said Harry awkwardly. **

"**No," said Ron, looking anxiously at Harry again. "Ginny was shaking like mad, though…" **

**Harry didn't understand. He felt weak and shivery, as though he were recovering from a bad bout of flu; he also felt the beginnings of shame. Why had he gone to pieces like that, when no one else had? **

"Oh, sweetie, you don't need to be ashamed about something like that," Lily moans, wanting to kill her sister for the abuse she caused her son.

**Professor Lupin had come back. He paused as he entered, looked around, and said, with a small smile, "I haven't poisoned that chocolate, you know…" **

James snorts at this. "Not this time, you haven't."

"It is not my fault you needed to learn a lesson about stealing my chocolate, Potter." Remus grins.

**Harry took a bite and to his great surprise felt warmth spread suddenly to the tips of his fingers and toes. **

"**We'll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes," said Professor Lupin. "Are you all right, Harry?" **

**Harry didn't ask how Professor Lupin knew his name. **

"Well, you should've." Lily grins.

"**Fine," he muttered, embarrassed. **

**They didn't talk much during the remainder of the journey. At long last, the train stopped at Hogsmeade station, and there was a great scramble to get outside; owls hooted, cats meowed, and Neville's pet toad croaked loudly from under his hat. It was freezing on the tiny platform; rain was driving down in icy sheets. **

"**Firs' years this way!" called a familiar voice. Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned and saw the gigantic outline of Hagrid at the other end of the platform, beckoning the terrified-looking new students forward for their traditional journey across the lake. **

"Oh, more new firsties. FIRSTIES, WAVE YOUR HANDS SO I CAN SEE WHERE Y'ALL ARE." James grins, as about 50 hands shoot up.

"Y'all are what, in your third year now?" Many heads nod and Harry smirks.

"**All right, you three?" Hagrid yelled over the heads of the crowd. They waved at him, but had no chance to speak to him because the mass of people around them was shunting them away along the platform. Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed the rest of the school along the platform and out onto a rough mud track, where at least a hundred stagecoaches awaited the remaining students, each pulled, Harry could only assume, by an invisible horse, because when they climbed inside and shut the door, the coach set off all by itself, bumping and swaying in procession. **

"Close enough," James mutters, looking down sadly while Lily comforts him.

**The coach smelled faintly of mold and straw. Harry felt better since the chocolate, but still weak. Ron and Hermione kept looking at him sideways, as though frightened he might collapse again. **

"Sorry, mate."

**As the carriage trundled toward a pair of magnificent wrought iron gates, flanked with stone columns topped with winged boars, Harry saw two more towering, hooded Dementors, standing guard on either side. A wave of cold sickness threatened to engulf him again; he leaned back into the lumpy seat and closed his eyes until they had passed the gates. The carriage picked up speed on the long, sloping drive up to the castle; Hermione was leaning out of the tiny window, watching the many turrets and towers draw nearer. At last, the carriage swayed to a halt, and Hermione and Ron got out. **

**As Harry stepped down, a drawling, delighted voice sounded in his ear. **

"Oh god, it's the Ferret, isn't it?" James groans, putting his head in his hands.

"**You fainted, Potter? Is Longbottorn telling the truth? You actually fainted?" **

"What's it to you, Ferret?"

**Malfoy elbowed past Hermione to block Harry's way up the stone steps to the castle, his face gleeful and his pale eyes glinting maliciously. **

"How rude." Both Lily and Narcissa say, smiling slightly.

"**Shove off, Malfoy," said Ron, whose jaw was clenched. **

"**Did you faint as well, Weasley?" said Malfoy loudly. "Did the scary old Dementor frighten you too, Weasley?" **

"Just because someone faints, doesn't mean they're weak, brat." Tonks snaps.

"**Is there a problem?" said a mild voice. Professor Lupin had just gotten out of the next carriage. **

"Wonderful timing, Remy."

**Malfoy gave Professor Lupin an insolent stare, which took in the patches on his robes and the dilapidated suitcase. With a tiny hint of sarcasm in his voice, he said, "Oh, no — er —**_**Professor**_**," then he smirked at Crabbe and Goyle and led them up the steps into the castle. **

"Why you little!' James snarls, his fist clenching his wand in anger as Lily tries to calm him down.

**Hermione prodded Ron in the back to make him hurry, and the three of them joined the crowd swarming up the steps, through the giant oak front doors, into the cavernous Entrance Hall, which was lit with flaming torches, and housed a magnificent marble staircase that led to the upper floors. **

**The door into the Great Hall stood open at the right; Harry followed the crowd toward it, but had barely glimpsed the enchanted ceiling, which was black and cloudy tonight, when a voice called, "Potter! Granger! I want to see you both!" **

"Oh c'mon! Other than excessive flirting, they probably didn't do much!" The twins shout, causing Harry and Hermione to look down and blush while everyone else laughed.

**Harry and Hermione turned around, surprised. Professor McGonagall, Transfiguration teacher and head of Gryffindor House, was calling over the heads of the crowd. She was a stern looking witch who wore her hair in a tight bun; her sharp eyes were framed with square spectacles. Harry fought his way over to her with a feeling of foreboding: Professor McGonagall had a way of making him feel he must have done something wrong. **

"She has a way of making all of us Potters feel that way," Surprisingly, Lily stated, while James beamed at his wife, never not getting use to Lily calling herself a Potter.

"**There's no need to look so worried — I just want a word in my office," she told them. "Move along there, Weasley." **

**Ron stared as Professor McGonagall ushered Harry and Hermione away from the chattering crowd; they accompanied her across the entrance hall, up the marble staircase, and along a corridor. **

**Once they were in her office, a small room with a large, welcoming fire, Professor McGonagall motioned Harry and Hermione to sit down. She settled herself behind her desk and said abruptly, "Professor Lupin sent an owl ahead to say that you were taken ill on the train, Potter." **

"Not good." Sirius grimaces, patting Harry's head who scowls before grinning.

**Before Harry could reply, there was a soft knock on the door and Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, came bustling in. **

**Harry felt himself going red in the face. It was bad enough that he'd passed out, or whatever he had done, without everyone making all this fuss. **

"He's not use to it!" Lily cries.

"**I'm fine," he said, "I don't need anything —" **

"A Potter through and through."

"**Oh, it's you, is it?" said Madam Pomfrey, ignoring this and bending down to stare closely at him. "I suppose you've been doing something dangerous again?" **

"A REAL POTTER THROUGH AND THROUGH." James snorts, clapping in happiness, making Lily shake her head while smiling.

"**It was a Dementor, Poppy," said Professor McGonagall. **

**They exchanged a dark look, and Madam Pomfrey clucked disapprovingly. **

"**Setting Dementors around a school," she muttered, pushing back Harry's hair and feeling his forehead. "He won't be the last one who collapses. Yes, he's all clammy. Terrible things, they are, and the effect they have on people who are already delicate —" **

"Oh, Merlin, Poppy, way to emasculate a young teenage boy." James groans, shaking his head.

"**I'm not delicate!" said Harry crossly. **

"See."

"**Of course you're not," said Madam Pomfrey absentmindedly, now taking his pulse. **

"Not going to help."

"**What does he need?" said Professor McGonagall crisply. "Bed rest? Should he perhaps spend tonight in the hospital wing?" **

"Not the brightest idea for a Potter."

"**I'm **_**fine**_**!" said Harry, jumping up. The thought of what Draco Malfoy would say if he had to go to the hospital wing was torture. **

"**Well, he should have some chocolate, at the very least," said Madam Pomfrey, who was now trying to peer into Harry's eyes. **

"**I've already had some," said Harry. "Professor Lupin gave me some. He gave it to all of us." **

"**Did he, now?" said Madam Pomfrey approvingly. "So we've finally got a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies?" **

"Awh, thanks Poppy." Remus grins, blushing slightly.

"**Are you sure you feel all right, Potter?" Professor McGonagall said sharply. **

"**Yes," said Harry. **

"**Very well. Kindly wait outside while I have a quick word with Miss Granger about her course schedule, then we can go down to the feast together." **

"Why?" James questions, suddenly serious.

**Harry went back into the corridor with Madam Pomfrey, who left for the hospital wing, muttering to herself. He had to wait only a few minutes; then Hermione emerged looking very happy about something, followed by Professor McGonagall, and the three of them made their way back down the marble staircase to the Great Hall. **

"This outta be—"

"Foreshadowing" James interrupts, smirking.

**It was a sea of pointed black hats; each of the long House tables was lined with students, their faces glimmering by the light of thousands of candles, which were floating over the tables in midair. Professor Flitwick, who was a tiny little wizard with a shock of white hair, was carrying an ancient hat and a three-legged stool out of the hall. **

"**Oh," said Hermione softly, "we've missed the Sorting!" **

**New students at Hogwarts were sorted into Houses by trying on the Sorting Hat, which shouted **

**out the House they were best suited to (Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin). Professor McGonagall strode off toward her empty seat at the staff table, and Harry and Hermione set off in the other direction, as quietly as possible, toward the Gryffindor table. People looked around at them as they passed along the back of the hall, and a few of them pointed at Harry. Had the story of his collapsing in front of the Dementor traveled that fast?**

"Probably."

**He and Hermione sat down on either side of Ron, who had saved them seats. **

"**What was all that about?" he muttered to Harry. **

**Harry started to explain in a whisper, but at that moment the headmaster stood up to speak, and he broke off. **

**Professor Dumbledore, though very old, always gave an impression of great energy. He had several feet of long silver hair and beard, half-moon spectacles, and an extremely crooked nose. He was often described as the greatest wizard of the age, but that wasn't why Harry respected him. You couldn't help trusting Albus Dumbledore, and as Harry watched him beaming around at the students, he felt really calm for the first time since the Dementor had entered the train compartment. **

"Look at how much that's changed."

"**Welcome!" said Dumbledore, the candlelight shimmering on his beard. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast…" **

**Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business." **

**He paused, and Harry remembered what Mr. Weasley had said about Dumbledore not being happy with the Dementors guarding the school. **

"**They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds," Dumbledore continued, "and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises — or even Invisibility Cloaks," he added blandly, and Harry and Ron glanced at each other. "It is not in the nature of a Dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the Dementors," he said. **

**Percy, who was sitting a few seats down from Harry, puffed out his chest again and stared around impressively. Dumbledore paused again; he looked very seriously around the hall, and nobody moved or made a sound. **

"Not surprising, on both accounts."

"**On a happier note," he continued, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. "First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."  
**

**There was some scattered, rather unenthusiastic applause. Only those who had been in the compartment on the train with Professor Lupin clapped hard, Harry among them.  
**

"Way to go, son!"

**Professor Lupin looked particularly shabby next to all the other teachers in their best robes. **

"**Look at Snape!" Ron hissed in Harry's ear. **

**Professor Snape, the Potions master, was staring along the staff table at Professor Lupin. It was common knowledge that Snape wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts job, but even Harry, who hated Snape, was startled at the expression twisting his thin, sallow face. it was beyond anger: it was loathing. Harry knew that expression only too well; it was the look Snape wore every time he set eyes on Harry. **

"I'm too worn out of growling to even growl at Snape right now.." James mutters, annoyed.

"**As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued as the lukewarm applause for Professor Lupin died away. "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties." **

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at one another, stunned. Then they joined in with the applause, which was tumultuous at the Gryffindor table in particular. **

"YAY!"

**Harry leaned forward to see Hagrid, who was ruby red in the face and staring down at his enormous hands, his wide grin hidden in the tangle of his black beard. **

"**We should've known!" Ron roared, pounding the table. "Who else would have assigned us a biting book?" **

"True say, aha." James laughs.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione were the last to stop clapping, and as Professor Dumbledore started speaking again, they saw that Hagrid was wiping his eyes on the tablecloth. **

"**Well, I think that's everything of importance," said Dumbledore. "Let the feast begin!" **

**The golden plates and goblets before them filled suddenly with food and drink. Harry, suddenly ravenous, helped himself to everything he could reach and began to eat. **

**It was a delicious feast; the hall echoed with talk, laughter, and the clatter of knives and forks. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, however, were eager for it to finish so that they could talk to Hagrid. They knew how much being made a teacher would mean to him. Hagrid wasn't a fully qualified wizard; he had been expelled from Hogwarts in his third year for a crime he had not committed. It had been Harry, Ron, and Hermione who had cleared Hagrid's name last year. **

**At long last, when the last morsels of pumpkin tart had melted from the golden platters, **

**Dumbledore gave the word that it was time for them all to go to bed, and they got their chance. **

"**Congratulations, Hagrid!" Hermione squealed as they reached the teachers' table. **

"**All down ter you three," said Hagrid, wiping his shining face on his napkin as he looked up at them. "Can' believe it… great man, Dumbledore… came straight down to me hut after Professor Kettleburn said he'd had enough… It's what I always wanted…" **

**Overcome with emotion, he buried his face in his napkin, and Professor McGonagall shooed them away. **

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione joined the Gryffindors streaming up the marble staircase and, very tired now, along more corridors, up more and more stairs, to the hidden entrance to Gryffindor Tower, where a large portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress asked them, **

"**Password?" **

"**Coming through, coming through!" Percy called from behind the crowd. "The new password's **_**Fortuna Major**_**!" **

"**Oh no," said Neville Longbottom sadly. He always had trouble remembering the passwords. **

**Through the portrait hole and across the common room, the girls and boys divided toward their separate staircases. Harry climbed the spiral stair with no thought in his head except how glad he was to be back. They reached their familiar, circular dormitory with its five four-poster beds, and Harry, looking around, felt he was home at last.**

"Wonderful." James whispers, while the book goes over to Remus, who smiles.

1


	45. Chapter 45

**Authors Note: **Hey guys, thanks for reading and reviewing the last chapter. I'm positive I've replied to everyone, but if I haven't, I'm terribly sorry for that. Make sure to read the AN at the end of the chapter, ok? And, I hope you enjoy this one. :)

* * *

Just as Remus was about to begin reading the next chapter, he was abruptly silenced by James, causing him to look up in confusion and tilt his head. He could see that James looked extremely worried, currently biting his lip and looking between his son, his wife and even Snape. Looking quickly over to Sirius he can see his other best friend nod his head briefly, and through his peripheral, can see James let out a breath.

"Before Remus begins, I would like to talk to my son about something that I think he needs to understand before we continue." James says, causing Harry to look up and gulp in worry. Sirius, having seen this, rubs Harry's arm comfortingly.

"Don't worry about it, pup. He just wants to explain about Snape." Sirius whispers quietly, still rubbing Harry's arm.

"Better than you did?" Harry grins slightly, hiding inside of Sirius' arm, causing Sirius to laugh slightly.

"Definitely better than I did," Sirius replies quietly before raising his voice.

"James, maybe you should come over here to talk to Harry about this?" James nods before getting up and walking towards Harry alongside his wife, slowly, hesitantly, understanding that Harry's worried about what was going to go on. When James and Lily finally arrive to the Gryffindor end of the couches, he kneels in front of his son and best friend and smiles lightly.

"Harry, when I was rude to Snape, there were many reasons for doing so."

"Siri says it's because you were fifteen and arrogant prats, but I don't think that's an answer." James smiles and shakes his head while smirking at his best friend before sitting on the ground and nodding his head.

"You're right, you know. Being an arrogant fifteen year old prat is definitely not a reason." He begins before sighing.

"You see, while your mum and I weren't exactly in love at first sight, I definitely was. But I was insecure. She was best friends with Snape, which I'm sure you know—" James stops here, watching Harry nod his head before continuing.

"They were best friends and any idiot could see how deeply in love Snape was with Lily." James closes his eyes here and Lily squeezes his hand, comforting him in her own way.

"I didn't get it. Snape didn't seem like a great guy. We always picked on him yes, but he always bated Sirius and myself so much that we felt that we had to retaliate." James states, pausing slightly.

"I didn't get what was so great about the git, didn't understand why your mother couldn't see what we could. And while I was really good in school, he was really good in the one thing I sucked at – potions, which your mom also happened to be really good at."

"Wait, I thought mum was amazing at Charms?" Harry interrupts, frowning.

"She was. But like your friend Hermione, she excelled in everything, just more so charms." James grins, winking towards his son's girlfriend, who looks down and blushes.

"Oh."

"Yeah. Anyways. I thought that maybe Lily loved Snape, and I was jealous. He was obviously intelligent, and close friends with your mum. And I realize that that's just as bad as an excuse as the previous one, but it's the truth. And after the culminating events of what Snape said to your mom that year, and what Sirius did to Snape the year after—"

"Oh please, James," Lily interrupts, scowling, "Like the greasy-haired git didn't deserve it? Baiting Sirius the way he was. Shouldn't have bothered in the first place." Lily finishes, still scowling. James stares at her in shock, shaking his head slightly.

"Never thought I'd hear her say something like that," he mutters smiling sadly at his wife.

"After everything that happened pup," Sirius continues for his best friend smiling, "We matured. Your mum saw James growing up, gave him a chance as a friend, and eventually—"

"I fell in love with him." Lily smiles at her son before turning towards James and grinning, who grins back. Harry stays silent for a couple of minutes, aware that many people are staring at him and before he can stop himself, he asks his father something.

"Do you regret it?"

"No. I regret that it made Snape act out on you in bitterness, and I regret that it made your classes with Snape torture, but I can't regret what I've done to Snape. I'm sorry, don't get me wrong, but it made me who I am today, and I can't regret that." James answers quietly, honestly and with a look towards his godfather, who nods slightly, Harry nods his head before reaching his hand out, wishing he could touch his family. James smiles sadly, before turning towards Lily, standing up properly, and making his way back to his own couch.

"Okay, Rem. You can begin reading."

**CHAPTER SIX, Talons and Tea Leaves**

"Now this seems like it'll be interesting!" George interrupts, grinning.

**When Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the Great Hall for breakfast the next day, the first thing they saw was Draco Malfoy, who seemed to be entertaining a large group of Slytherins with a very funny story. As they passed, Malfoy did a ridiculous impression of a swooning fit and there was a roar of laughter. **

"Someone clearly needs to grow the frick up!" Lily mutters, rolling her eyes.

"**Ignore him," said Hermione, who was right behind Harry. "Just ignore him, it's not worth it…" **

"That lovely girlfriend of yours is right, Potter." Moody nearly shouts, making many people jump.

"**Hey, Potter!" shrieked Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl with a face like a pug. "Potter! The Dementors are coming, Potter! **_**Woooooooooo**_**!" **

"Dementors are really not something to joke about," Remus glares, interrupting himself, clearly annoyed while many people look down in shame.

**Harry dropped into a seat at the Gryffindor table, next to George Weasley. **

"**New third-year course schedules," said George, passing then, over. "What's up with you, Harry?" **

"You mean you guys actually care?" Someone close to the Slytherins asks, snorting.

"We think Harry,"

"As our honorary brother,"

"And nothing will ever change that."

"**Malfoy," said Ron, sitting down on George's other side and glaring over at the Slytherin table. **

**George looked up in time to see Malfoy pretending to faint with terror again. **

"He makes me so annoyed," Fred grumbles with George nodding his head in agreement.

"**That little git," he said calmly. "He wasn't so cocky last night when the Dementors were down at our end of the train. Came running into our compartment, didn't he, Fred?" **

"I remember that," Fred snorts, shaking himself with a grin.

"Was he a chicken shit?" James grins back, while the twins nod their head.

"**Nearly wet himself," said Fred, with a contemptuous glance at Malfoy. **

"Wow, a real big chicken shit." Lily snorts, trying not to laugh.

"**I wasn't too happy myself," said George. "They're horrible things, those Dementors…" **

"**Sort of freeze your insides, don't they?" said Fred. **

"**You didn't pass out, though, did you?" said Harry in a low voice.**

"I wasn't feeling too awesome with myself," Harry mutters, laying his head down on Sirius' lap to get comfortable.

"**Forget it, Harry," said George bracingly. "Dad had to go out to Azkaban one time, remember, Fred? And he said it was the worst place he'd ever been, he came back all weak and shaking… They suck the happiness out of a place, Dementors. Most of the prisoners go mad in there." **

"Then how didn't you, Sirius?" James questions quietly, chewing his lip in concentration, curious as to how much his best friend truly changed.

"**Anyway, we'll see how happy Malfoy looks after our first Quidditch match," said Fred. **

"Oh please say you kick their arses!" James groans, trying not to figure out his best friend any more than possibly necessary.

"**Gryffindor versus Slytherin, first game of the season, remember?" **

**The only time Harry and Malfoy had faced each other in a Quidditch match, Malfoy had definitely come off worse. Feeling slightly more cheerful, Harry helped himself to sausages and fried tomatoes.**

"Anyone would cheer up over Quidditch," Ron grins while Remus smiles slightly.

**Hermione was examining her new schedule. **

"Why doesn't this surprise me?" Amelia interrupts, smiling at the young girl, not use to interrupting.

"**Ooh, good, we're starting some new subjects today," she said happily. **

"**Hermione," said Ron, frowning as he looked over her shoulder, "they've messed up your timetable. Look — they've got you down for about ten subjects a day. There isn't enough **_**time**_**." **

"Why does that sound familiar?" James wrinkles his nose while Lily blushes.

"I'm pretty sure that's because your wife did the same thing, once upon a time." Sirius grins, running his fingers through Harry's hair nonchalantly.

"**I'll manage. I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall." **

"Must be why Minnie wanted to see her in the last chapter." Lily says.

"**But look," said Ron, laughing, "see this morning? Nine o'clock, Divination. And underneath, nine o'clock, Muggle Studies. And —" Ron leaned closer to the timetable, disbelieving, "**_**look**_**— underneath that, Arithmancy, **_**nine o'clock**_**. I mean, I know you're good, Hermione, but no one's **_**that **_**good. How're you supposed to be in three classes at once?" **

"Well, duh. You are a pureblood, aren't you?" Moody growls, surprisingly while James finds himself nodding and Ron blushes.

"Well, yeah, but –" he stutters, because he doesn't know what to say, doesn't even know what's really going on.

"**Don't be silly," said Hermione shortly. "Of course I won't be in three classes at once." **

"Liar," Harry whispers in Hermione's ear, kissing her neck lightly, causing her to giggle and many people to awww while looking at them in confusion.

"**Well then —" **

"She's just going to interrupt you, mate." George interrupts with Charlie nodding. He might not actually know his brother's friends, but he can definitely understand this.

"**Pass the marmalade," said Hermione. **

"See."

"**But —" **

"I wouldn't try it, Ron." Ginny says, rolling her eyes lightly.

"**Oh, Ron, what's it to you if my timetable's a bit full?" Hermione snapped. "I told you, I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall." **

"Oh, snappy 'Mione." James grins while Hermione opens her mouth in surprise and Lily smirks.

"Hermione dear, we like you. You should get use to it." Lily smiles while Hermione nods, humbled and thankful.

**Just then, Hagrid entered the Great Hall. He was wearing his long moleskin overcoat and was absent-mindedly swinging a dead polecat from one enormous hand. **

"Sounds like you, Hagrid." Bill grins.

"**All righ'?" he said eagerly, pausing on his way to the staff table. "Yer in my firs' ever lesson! Right after lunch! Bin up since five getting' everthin' ready… hope it'sokay… me, a teacher… hones'ly…" **

"Hagrid, I'm sure you did splendidly well!" James grins, trying to calm his giant friend down, missing the days where the Marauders would all go visit Hagrid. Hagrid grins, a slight blush on his face.

**He grinned broadly at them and headed off to the staff table, still swinging the polecat. **

"**Wonder what he's been getting ready?" said Ron, a note of anxiety in his voice. **

**The Hall was starting to empty as people headed off towards their first lesson. Ron checked his schedule. **

"**We'd better go, look, Divination's at the top of North Tower. It'll take us ten minutes to get there…" **

"Oh god, not that batty old class." James groans while Remus snorts and Sirius chuckles.

"You're just remembering the batty old Maureen Trelawny and how she use to predict your death every class." He says, causing Harry's eyes to open wide in surprise and look at his godfather, who only chuckles some more.

"You heard me correct, pup." He laughs.

**They finished breakfast hastily, said goodbye to Fred and George and walked back through the hall. As they passed the Slytherin table, Malfoy did yet another impression of a fainting fit.**

"Please ignore him, dear." Lily says and Harry smiles slightly.

**The shouts of laughter followed Harry into the Entrance Hall. The journey through the castle to North Tower was a long one. Two years at Hogwarts hadn't taught them everything about the castle, and they had never been inside North Tower before. **

"You're kidding right?" James questions, his eyes opened wide and his mouth open, gaping.

"**There's — got — to — be — a — short — cut," Ron panted, as they climbed the seventh long staircase and emerged on an unfamiliar landing, where there was nothing but a large painting of a bare stretch of grass hanging on the stone wall. **

"Are you guys going the right way?" Charlie questions, tilting his head, trying to remember his school years from before.

"**I think it's this way," said Hermione, peering down the empty passage to the right. **

"**Can't be," said Ron. "That's south. Look, you can see a bit of the lake outside the window…" **

**Harry was watching the painting.**

"How very nice son, but maybe you should pay attention to your friends?"

**A fat, dappled-gray pony had just ambled onto the grass and was grazing nonchalantly. Harry was used to the subjects of Hogwarts paintings moving around and leaving their frames to visit each other, but he always enjoyed watching them. A moment later, a short, squat knight in a suit of armour had clanked into the picture after his pony. By the look of the grass stains on his metal knees, he had just fallen off. **

"CADOGAN!" James and Sirius shout, grinning at one another while Remus snorts and Lily looks a little confused.

"James?"

"We use to get him to help us get people in trouble." James whispers, his eyes full of mirth as Lily rolls her own.

"**Aha!" he yelled, seeing Harry, Ron and Hermione. "What villains are these, that trespass upon my private lands! Come to scorn at my fall, perchance? Draw, you knaves, you dogs!" **

**They watched in astonishment as the little knight tugged his sword out of its scabbard and began brandishing it violently, hopping up and down in rage. But the sword was too long for him; a particularly wild swing made him overbalance, and he landed face down in the grass. **

"**Are you all right?" said Harry, moving closer to the picture. **

"Only you, pup." Sirius grins, ruffling his godson's hair, who can only smile and blush.

"**Get back, you scurvy braggart! Back, you rogue!" **

"Harry isn't a roguish braggart, though." Cho can be heard whispering with Luna, who only nods.

**The knight seized his sword again and used it to push himself back up, but the blade sank deeply into the grass and, though he pulled with all his might, he couldn't get it out again.**

Many people could be heard snorting at this sentence, most all seeing the knight do that more than once.

**Finally, he had to flop back down onto the grass and push up his visor to mop his sweating face. **

"**Listen," said Harry, taking advantage of the knight's exhaustion, "we're looking for the North Tower. You don't know the way, do you?" **

"Oh, he'll love that!" Poppy claps, getting use to the interruptions enough to do some of her own.

"**A quest!" The knight's rage seemed to vanish instantly. He clanked to his feet and shouted, "Come follow me, dear friends, and we shall find our goal, or else shall perish bravely in the charge!" **

"I will never understand him and his love of quests," Pomona whispers quietly to Fillius, who chuckles in agreement.

**He gave the sword another fruitless tug, tried and failed to mount the fat pony, gave up, and cried, "On foot then, good sirs and gentle lady! On! On!" **

"Only him, only him." Remus snorts.

**And he ran, clanking loudly, into the left side of the frame and out of sight. They hurried after him along the corridor, following the sound of his armor. Every now and then they spotted him running through a picture ahead. **

"It's what most people do when following a portrait." Remus says, nodding his head before he continues reading.

"**Be of stout heart, the worst is yet to come!" yelled the knight, and they saw him reappear in front of an alarmed group of women in crinolines, whose picture hung on the wall of a narrow spiral staircase. **

"I hate narrow staircases," Neville grumbles.

**Puffing loudly, Harry, Ron, and Hermione climbed the tightly spiraling steps, getting dizzier and dizzier, until at last they heard the murmur of voices above them and knew they had reached the classroom. **

"Nicely done!"

"**Farewell!" cried the knight, popping his head into a painting of some sinister-looking monks. **

"**Farewell, my comrades-in-arms! If ever you have need of noble heart and steely sinew, call upon Sir Cadogan!" **

"**Yeah, we'll call you," muttered Ron as the knight disappeared, "if we ever need someone mental." **

"Hey now, he's not that bad," Sirius snorts, shaking his head.

**They climbed the last few steps and emerged onto a tiny landing, where most of the class was already assembled. There were no doors off this landing, but Ron nudged Harry and pointed at the ceiling, where there was a circular trapdoor with a brass plaque on it. **

"Weirdest classroom, ever." Lily sighs, never liking the class.

"'**Sybill Trelawney, Divination teacher,'" Harry read.**

"Oh god, does she predict death like her mother?" James groans while Harry snorts.

"**How're we supposed to get up there?" **

"Ladder, kiddo." Sirius replies, shaking his head.

**As though in answer to his question, the trapdoor suddenly opened, and a silvery ladder descended right at Harry's feet. Everyone got quiet. **

"**After you," said Ron, grinning, so Harry climbed the ladder first. **

"Did you enjoy that, Ronald?" Hermione snorts, shaking her head as Ron blushes.

**He emerged into the strangest-looking classroom he had ever seen. In fact, it didn't look like a classroom at all, more like a cross between someone's attic and an old-fashioned tea shop.**

"Much like her batty mother, I see." James shudders, never liking Divination.

**At least twenty small, circular tables were crammed inside it, all surrounded by chintz armchairs and fat little poufs. Everything was lit with a dim, crimson light; the curtains at the windows were all closed, and the many lamps were draped with dark red scarves. It was stiflingly warm, and the fire that was burning under the crowded mantelpiece was giving off a heavy, sickly sort of perfume as it heated a large copper kettle. The shelves running around the circular walls were crammed with dusty-looking feathers, stubs of candles, many packs of tattered playing cards, countless silvery crystal balls, and a huge array of teacups. **

**Ron appeared at Harry's shoulder as the class assembled around them, all talking in whispers. **

"Why? It's not like it was impressive," Malfoy states, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"**Where is she?" Ron said. **

**A voice came suddenly out of the shadows, a soft, misty sort of voice. **

"**Welcome," it said. "How nice to see you in the physical world at last." **

Snorts were heard all over the great hall, Minerva's being most prominent, next to James'.

**Harry's immediate impression was of a large, glittering insect.**

Sirius snorts at this sentence, shaking his head and putting his arm around Harry, who was still laying down, his eyes closed.

"He sleeping, Sirius?"

"Nope. Just resting, right pup?" Sirius finishes while Harry nods his head, feeling tired anyways.

**Professor Trelawney moved into the firelight, and they saw that she was very thin; her large glasses magnified her eyes to several times their natural size, and she was draped in a gauzy spangled shawl. Innumerable chains and beads hung around her spindly neck, and her arms and hands were encrusted with bangles and rings. **

"Attractive." James mutters, wrinkling his nose.

"**Sit, my children, sit," she said, and they all climbed awkwardly into armchairs or sank onto poufs. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat themselves around the same round table. **

"Well duh, they're the Golden Trio," Cormac snorts, shaking his head while Ron and Hermione blush while Harry just smirks.

"**Welcome to Divination," said Professor Trelawney, who had seated herself in a winged armchair in front of the fire. "My name is Professor Trelawney. You may not have seen me before. I find that descending too often into the hustle and bustle of the main school clouds my Inner Eye." **

"What inner eye?" Someone snorts, while many others nod and Harry shrugs, not wanting to spoil anything.

**Nobody said anything to this extraordinary pronouncement. Professor Trelawney delicately rearranged her shawl and continued, "So you have chosen to study Divination, the most difficult of all magical arts."**

"It's difficult because it cannot be learned!" Hermione groans, stomping her foot in annoyance while Lily nods her head in agreement.

"**-I must warn you at the outset that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you… Books can take you only so far in this field…"**

"Then why bother offering it as a course?" Someone questions while Minerva tilts her head in thought.

"You know, I don't actually know why," She says.

**At these words, both Harry and Ron glanced, grinning, at Hermione, who looked startled at the news that books wouldn't be much help in this subject. **

"Well, I kind of was," Hermione shrugs unceremoniously.

"**Many witches and wizards, talented though they are in the area of loud bangs and smells and sudden disappearings, are yet unable to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future," Professor Trelawney went on, her enormous, gleaming eyes moving from face to nervous face. "It is a Gift granted to few. You, boy," she said suddenly to Neville, who almost toppled off his pouf. **

Snorts were heard all around the room as Neville laughed at himself.

"**Is your grandmother well?" **

"**I think so," said Neville tremulously. **

"**I wouldn't be so sure if I were you, dear," said Professor Trelawney, the firelight glinting on her long emerald earrings. Neville gulped. Professor Trelawney continued placidly.**

"Was your grandmother ok?" Lily asks, worried for the young boy that she always imagined being best friends with her own son due to the closeness of the parents.

"Oh yeah, completely fine." Neville snorts, shaking his head.

"**We will be covering the basic methods of Divination this year. The first term will be devoted to reading the tea leaves. Next term we shall progress to palmistry. By the way, my dear," she shot suddenly at Parvati Patil, "beware a red-haired man." **

"Hey Ron, didn't you go to the ball with—"

"Shut it, Potter," Ron groans, shaking his head as Harry chuckles against Sirius.

**Parvati gave a startled look at Ron, who was right behind her and edged her chair away from him. **

Many people laughed at this sentence.

"**In the second term," Professor Trelawney went on, "we shall progress to the crystal ball — if we have finished with fire omens, that is. Unfortunately, classes will be disrupted in February by a nasty bout of flu. I myself will lose my voice. And around Easter, one of our number will leave us for ever." **

"You can't be serious." Sirius snorts before Harry giggles and opens his eyes.

"Of course she's not. You are, silly." He says, causing Sirius to chuckle at his godson.

**A very tense silence followed this pronouncement, but Professor Trelawney seemed unaware of it. **

"Are you sure she's not her mother reincarnated?" Lily mutters, disgusted.

"**I wonder, dear," she said to Lavender Brown, who was nearest and shrank back in her chair, "if you could pass me the largest silver teapot?" **

**Lavender, looking relieved, stood up, took an enormous teapot from the shelf, and put it down on the table in front of Professor Trelawney. **

"**Thank you, my dear. Incidentally, that thing you are dreading — it will happen on Friday the sixteenth of October." **

"Horrible, horrible day." Lavender mutters, shaking her head sadly.

**Lavender trembled. **

Many people stared at Lavender now as she trembled even more so now, remembering the actual day.

"**Now, I want you all to divide into pairs. Collect a teacup from the shelf, come to me, and I will fill it. Then sit down and drink, drink until only the dregs remain. Swill these around the cup three times with the left hand, then turn the cup upside down on its saucer, wait for the last of the tea to drain away, then give your cup to your partner to read. You will interpret the patterns using pages five and six of **_**Unfogging the Future**_**. I shall move among you, helping and instructing. Oh, and dear," — she caught Neville by the arm as he made to stand up, "after you've broken your first cup, would you be so kind as to select one of the blue patterned ones? I'm rather attached to the pink." **

Many people snort at Trelawny's prediction, shaking their heads.

"It's not really real, seeing as I'm one of the more klutzy people around." Neville mutters while annoyed.

**Sure enough, Neville had no sooner reached the shelf of teacups when there was a tinkle of breaking china. Professor Trelawney swept over to him holding a dustpan and brush and said, "One of the blue ones, then, dear, if you wouldn't mind… thank you…" **

"And you know, if she hadn't even told me about breaking one beforehand, I wouldn't have even broken it in the first place," Neville continues to mutter, crossing his arms while Harry nudges him slightly with his wand, smiling at him.

"We know mate, we know."

**When Harry and Ron had had their teacups filled, they went back to their table and tried to drink the scalding tea quickly. They swilled the dregs around as Professor Trelawney had instructed, then drained the cups and swapped over. **

"**Right," said Ron as they both opened their books at pages five and six. "What can you see in mine?" **

"**A load of soggy brown stuff," said Harry. The heavily perfumed smoke in the room was making him feel sleepy and stupid. **

"It tends to do that." Sirius mutters, drawing circles on Harry's hand.

"**Broaden your minds, my dears, and allow your eyes to see past the mundane!" Professor Trelawney cried through the gloom. **

"She also did this really weird hand and arm action when she said it," Hermione says, rolling her eyes.

**Harry tried to pull himself together.**

"Atta boy." James cheers while Snape rolls his eyes.

"**Right, you've got a crooked sort of cross…" He consulted **_**Unfogging the Future**_**. "That means you're going to have 'trials and suffering' — sorry about that — but there's a thing that could be the sun. Hang on… that means 'great happiness'… so you're going to suffer but be very happy…" **

"Now that I think about it, the so-called reading I said for you matched me," Harry says, tilting his head while Ron tilts his own.

"That's because the person's cup you read is better suited for yourself." Lily says, tilting her own head. "Didn't you know that?"

"Clearly not," James mutters, upset.

"If that's the case then, my reading really was quite correct," Harry snorts, poking Sirius' leg, who laughs.

"**You need your Inner Eye tested, if you ask me," said Ron, and they both had to stifle their laughs as Professor Trelawney gazed in their direction.**

"**My turn…" Ron peered into Harry's teacup, his forehead wrinkled with effort. "There's a blob a bit like a bowler hat," he said. "Maybe you're going to work for the Ministry of Magic…" **

"I'd hope not. For either of us," Ron mumbles, shuddering, while Fudge looks offended but knows not to interrupt.

**He turned the teacup the other way up. **

"Will that even help?" Someone else questions, while other people stop and shrug.

"**But this way it looks more like an acorn… what's that?" He scanned his copy of **_**Unfogging the Future**_**. "'A windfall, unexpected gold.' Excellent, you can lend me some. And there's a thing here," he turned the cup again, "that looks like an animal… yeah, if that was its head… it looks like a hippo… no, a sheep…" **

"But that does sound like mine, too. The gold could've been from fourth year," Harry mutters while Sirius falters in his circle drawing, sighing.

**Professor Trelawney whirled around as Harry let out a snort of laughter. **

"**Let me see that, my dear," she said reprovingly to Ron, sweeping over and snatching Harry's cup from him. Everyone went quiet to watch. **

**Professor Trelawney was staring into the teacup, rotating it counterclockwise. **

"**The falcon… my dear, you have a deadly enemy." **

"Well no freaking shit," Lily mutters, rolling her eyes as James snorts.

"**But everyone knows **_**that**_**," said Hermione in a loud whisper. Professor Trelawney stared at her. **

"**Well, they do," said Hermione. "Everybody knows about Harry and You-Know-Who."**

"When did you start saying Voldemort again?" Harry jokes, looking over at his girlfriend, who rolls her eyes and pushes him.

**Harry and Ron stared at her with a mixture of amazement and admiration. They had never heard Hermione speak to a teacher like that before. Professor Trelawney chose not to reply. She lowered her huge eyes to Harry's cup again and continued to turn it. **

"**The club… an attack. Dear, dear, this is not a happy cup…" **

"**I thought that was a bowler hat," said Ron sheepishly. **

"**The skull… danger in your path, my dear…"**

"Seriously?" James mutters.

**Everyone was staring, transfixed, at Professor Trelawney, who gave the cup a final turn, gasped, and then screamed.**

"Oh Merlin, this ought to be good," Remus snorts, interrupting himself.

**There was another tinkle of breaking china; Neville had smashed his second cup. Professor Trelawney sank into a vacant armchair, her glittering hand at her heart and her eyes closed.**

"Yeesh, what went up her butt," James mutters.

"**My dear boy — my poor dear boy — no — it is kinder not to say — no — don't ask me…" **

"**What is it, Professor?" said Dean Thomas at once. Everyone had got to their feet, and slowly they crowded around Harry and Ron's table, pressing close to Professor Trelawney's chair to get a good look at Harry's cup. **

"**My dear," Professor Trelawney's huge eyes opened dramatically, "you have the Grim."**

"Well, obviously, since the grim is his godfather," James snorts while Sirius chuckles.

"**The what?" said Harry.**

"You wouldn't know, would you?" Ron mutters, shaking his head.

**He could tell that he wasn't the only one who didn't understand; Dean Thomas shrugged at him and Lavender Brown looked puzzled, but nearly everybody else clapped their hands to their mouths in horror. **

"Aren't you pureblood, Lavender?" Harry questioned, remembering Dean was half-blood. Lavender nodded, and still shrugged.

"Just cause I am doesn't mean I know everything, Potter." She grins.

"**The Grim, my dear, the Grim!" cried Professor Trelawney, who looked shocked that Harry hadn't understood. "The giant, spectral dog that haunts churchyards! My dear boy, it is an omen — the worst omen — of **_**death**_**!" **

"Or, it could just be a big, black dog." Sirius snorts, rolling his eyes.

**Harry's stomach lurched. That dog on the cover of **_**Death Omens **_**in Flourish and Blotts — the dog in the shadows of Magnolia Crescent…**

"All Sirius," James singsons, laughing.

**Lavender Brown clapped her hands to her mouth too. Everyone was looking at Harry, **

"I hate when everyone looks at me." Harry groans, squirming slightly.

- **everyone except Hermione, who had gotten up and moved around to the back of Professor Trelawney's chair. **

"Are we going to see a little bit of a Hermione rebel?" James grins.

"**I don't think it looks like a Grim," she said flatly. **

"Very nice," Lily laughs.

**Professor Trelawney surveyed Hermione with mounting dislike. **

"Feeling is definitely mutual," Hermione mutters, crossing her arms in aggravation.

"**You'll forgive me for saying so, my dear, but I perceive very little aura around you. Very little receptivity to the resonances of the future." **

"Because it's not something you can learn!" Hermione nearly shouts, stomping her foot while Harry gets up from laying on his side, and wraps his arm around her, kissing her cheek lightly.

"Sweetie, calm on down," He mutters.

**Seamus Finnigan was tilting his head from side to side. **

"It was really interesting to see Hermione disagree with a teacher." He interrupts, shrugging.

"**It looks like a Grim if you do this," he said, with his eyes almost shut, "but it looks more like a donkey from here," he said, leaning to the left. **

Many people snorted at this, shaking their heads.

"**When you've all finished deciding whether I'm going to die or not!" said Harry, taking even himself by surprise. **

"It really is tiring, having people predict your death over and over," James interrupts, nodding his head in understanding.

**Now nobody seemed to want to look at him.**

"That seems to happen a lot," Someone snorts.

"**I think we will leave the lesson here for today," said Professor Trelawney in her mistiest voice. **

"Probably because she wasn't having things end up her way," Lily snorts, agreeing with Hermione's views on the class.

"**Yes… please pack away your things…" **

**Silently the class took their teacups back to Professor Trelawney, packed away their books, and closed their bags. Even Ron was avoiding Harry's eyes. **

"But why?" Ginny questions, tilting her head as Ron shrugs.

"**Until we meet again," said Professor Trelawney faintly, "fair fortune be yours. Oh, and dear," — she pointed at Neville, "you'll be late next time, so mind you work extra-hard to catch up." **

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione descended Professor Trelawney's ladder and the winding stair in silence, then set off for Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration lesson.**

"They'll be learning about animagi transformations!" James grins, excited.

**It took them so long to find her classroom that, early as they had left Divination, they were only just in time. **

"Quite the commute, then? Not right." Mad-Eye whispers, most people beginning to ignore him now.

**Harry chose a seat right at the back of the room, feeling as though he were sitting in a very bright spotlight; the rest of the class kept shooting furtive glances at him, as though he were about to drop dead at any moment.**

"I highly doubt that," Hermione snorts, shaking her head.

**He hardly heard what Professor McGonagall was telling them about Animagi (wizards who could transform at will into animals), and wasn't even watching when she transformed herself in front of their eyes into a tabby cat with spectacle markings around her eyes. **

"Man, you must've been disappointed, Minnie," James grins, a small smirk on his face as Minerva smirks back and tries not to blush.

"**Really, what has got into you all today?" said Professor McGonagall, turning back into herself with a faint **_**pop**_**, and staring around at them all. "Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation's not got applause from a class." **

"Oh, not good," James grimaces.

**Everybody's heads turned toward Harry again, but nobody spoke. Then Hermione raised her hand. **

"Always the brave one, she is," Lily says to her husband, who nods with a small smile.

"**Please, Professor, we've just had our first Divination class, and we were reading the tea leaves, and —" **

"**Ah, of course," said Professor McGonagall, suddenly frowning.**

"Not surprising. Minerva thinks Divination is a fraudulent class," Pomona snorts.

"It is," Lily replies for her favourite teacher.

"**There is no need to say any more, Miss Granger. Tell me, which of you will be dying this year?" **

"Right on the ball."

**Everyone stared at her. **

"**Me," said Harry, finally.**

"I wasn't that surprised. I figured she'd say you." Minerva mutters, nearly rolling her eyes.

"**I see," said Professor McGonagall, fixing Harry with her beady eyes. "Then you should know, Potter, that Sybill Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she arrived at this school. None of them has died yet. Seeing death omens is her favorite way of greeting a new class. If it were not for the fact that I never speak ill of my colleagues —" Professor McGonagall broke off, and they saw that her nostrils had gone white.**

"Potter!" Minerva snaps, wishing the kid wasn't so damn observant. He grins sheepishly while James laughs.

**She went on, more calmly, "Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic. I shall not conceal from you that I have very little patience with it. True Seers are very rare, and Professor Trelawney…" **

**She stopped again, and then said, in a very matter-of-fact tone, "You look in excellent health to me, Potter, so you will excuse me if I don't let you off homework today. I assure you that if you die, you need not hand it in." **

"Oh Minnie, you have such a little jokster in you." James laughs, high-fiving himself while his wife laughs at him.

**Hermione laughed. Harry felt a bit better. It was harder to feel scared of a lump of tea leaves away from the dim red light and befuddling perfume of Professor Trelawney's classroom. Not everyone was convinced, however. Ron still looked worried, and Lavender whispered, "But what about Neville's cup?" **

"Pure chance." Hermione mutters, rolling her eyes while Neville nods in agreement.

**When the Transfiguration class had finished, they joined the crowd thundering toward the Great Hall for lunch. **

"**Ron, cheer up," said Hermione, pushing a dish of stew toward him. "You heard what Professor McGonagall said." **

"That's why they're perfect for one another." Molly can be heard whispering and while Hermione and Lily roll their eyes, James can't help but notice that Ginny never agreed with her mom for once, or even laughed. Maybe the young girl was turning around?

**Ron spooned stew onto his plate and picked up his fork but didn't start. **

"**Harry," he said, in a low, serious voice, "You **_**haven't **_**seen a great black dog anywhere, have you?" **

"You can't be real," Lily laughs, getting tired of all the grim talk.

"**Yeah, I have," said Harry. "I saw one the night I left the Dursleys'." **

**Ron let his fork fall with a clatter. **

"Smooth Weasley, smooth." Malfoy snarls while Ron glares at the young Malfoy.

"**Probably a stray," said Hermione calmly. **

"Exactly. There are black dogs around, y'know." James snorts, even though he knows better.

**Ron looked at Hermione as though she had gone mad. **

"Do they do that often?"

"**Hermione, if Harry's seen a Grim, that's — that's bad," he said. "My — my uncle Bilius saw one and — and he died twenty-four hours later!"**

"But it's been more than twenty-four hours since he'd seen the Grim, and he's not dead." Poppy states while she tries her hardest not to roll her eyes.

"**Coincidence," said Hermione airily, pouring herself some pumpkin juice. **

"No need to say it so 'airily'" Molly snaps, causing Hermione to flinch slightly and Harry to glare.

"Calm, pup." Sirius mutters, combing through his godsons hair.

"**You don't know what you're talking about!" said Ron, starting to get angry. "Grims scare the living daylights out of most wizards!" **

"Yeah, wizards. For muggle born people, Grims are just dogs. It's a mind over matter type thing, by proxy. Wizards believe death is imminent after seeing a 'Grim' because that's what they've always been told. But for muggles, a Grim is just a black dog, and the connotation of a black dog is not a bad thing like the Grim." Hermione says while many people think over her speech, realizing how right she was.

"**There you are, then," said Hermione in a superior tone. "They see the Grim and die of fright. The Grim's not an omen, it's the cause of death! And Harry's still with us because he's not stupid enough to see one and think, right, well, I'd better kick the bucket then!" **

"See!" Hermione shouts, clearly frustrated while Sirius snorts.

**Ron mouthed wordlessly at Hermione, who opened her bag, took out her new Arithmancy book, and propped it open against the juice jug. **

"She means business, clearly," Fred chuckles while many others smirk.

"**I think Divination seems very woolly," she said, searching for her page. "A lot of guesswork, if you ask me." **

"Right you are, Hermione." Lily replies.

"**There was nothing woolly about the Grim in that cup!" said Ron hotly. **

"**You didn't seem quite so confident when you were telling Harry it was a sheep," said Hermione coolly.**

"Is this the beginning of their fighting?" Neville asks, a little uncertain.

"Yep." Harry replies, bored.

"**Professor Trelawney said you didn't have the right aura! You just don't like being bad at something for a change!" **

"Not the best thing to say, mate." George grimaces, while many of the males nod their heads in agreement.

**He had touched a nerve. Hermione slammed her Arithmancy book down on the table so hard that bits of meat and carrot flew everywhere. **

"Attractive," James mutters.

"**If being good at Divination means I have to pretend to see death omens in a lump of tea leaves, I'm not sure I'll be studying it much longer! That lesson was absolute rubbish compared with my Arithmancy class!"**

"Anyone wanna take bets for how long she's in the class?" James grins while Snape scoffs and Lily giggles.

**She snatched up her bag and stalked away. Ron frowned after her. **

"**What's she talking about?" he said to Harry. "She hasn't been to an Arithmancy class yet."**

"You must think not, Ron. But clearly, she has." Ginny states, tilting her head slightly.

**Harry was pleased to get out of the castle after lunch. Yesterday's rain had cleared; the sky was a clear, pale gray, and the grass was springy and damp underfoot as they set off for their first ever Care of Magical Creatures class. **

"Sounds amazing," Lily sighs, missing the fresh air of Earth.

**Ron and Hermione weren't speaking to each other. Harry walked beside them in silence as they went down the sloping lawns to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was only when he spotted three only-too-familiar backs ahead of them that he realized they must be having these lessons with the Slytherins. Malfoy was talking animatedly to Crabbe and Goyle, who were chortling. Harry was quite sure he knew what they were talking about.**

"Screw 'em. You rank higher than Malfoy on the list of Noble houses anyways." James states as he rolls his eyes while Harry opens his mouth in shock.

**Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with Fang the boarhound at his heels, looking impatient to start. **

"**C'mon, now, get a move on!" he called as the class approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!" **

"I'm so excited to see what his first class is." Lily whispers.

"Hopefully nothing boring like those worms." James replies.

**For one nasty moment, Harry thought that Hagrid was going to lead them into the forest; Harry had had enough unpleasant experiences in there to last him a lifetime. However, Hagrid strolled off around the edge of the trees, and five minutes later, they found themselves outside a kind of paddock. There was nothing in there. **

"**Everyone gather 'round the fence here!" he called. "That's it — make sure yeh can see — now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books —" **

"**How?" said the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy. **

"**Eh?" said Hagrid. **

"**How do we open our books?" Malfoy repeated. He took out his copy of **_**The Monster Book of Monsters**_**, which he had bound shut with a length of rope. Other people took theirs out too; some, like Harry, had belted their book shut; others had crammed them inside tight bags or clamped them together with binder clips. **

"Stroke the spine." Sirius snorts, curious as to how people don't know that.

"**Hasn' — hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" said Hagrid, looking crestfallen.**

"Aw, Hagrid, don't be sad." James interrupts while many others nod their heads.

**The class all shook their heads. **

"**Yeh've got ter **_**stroke **_**'em," said Hagrid, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Look —" **

**He took Hermione's copy and ripped off the Spellotape that bound it. The book tried to bite, but Hagrid ran a giant forefinger down its spine, and the book shivered, and then fell open and lay quiet in his hand. **

"It's almost like it has an or—"

"HARRY JAMES SIRIUS POTTER FINISH THAT SENTENCE I DARE YA." Sirius interrupts his godson, who smirks.

"—gasm," He finishes, while Sirius glares.

"Don't make me give you _the talk _again." Harry's eyes go wide and his face turns red as many people snort and James grins.

"Now _that _I would like to see." James laughs, before letting Remus continue.

"**Oh, how silly we've all been!" Malfoy sneered. "We should have stroked them! Why didn't we guess!" **

"No need to be an arse." Narcissa mutters, while her son blushes and many people snort.

"**I — I thought they were funny," Hagrid said uncertainly to Hermione. **

"Not really mate, not really." George says, looking apologetic.

"**Oh, tremendously funny!" said Malfoy. "Really witty, giving us books that try and rip our hands off!" **

"Sod off, Malfoy." Someone shouts.

"**Shut up, Malfoy," said Harry quietly. Hagrid was looking downcast and Harry wanted Hagrid's first lesson to be a success. **

"Aw," Someone says, probably female.

"**Righ' then," said Hagrid, who seemed to have lost his thread, "so — so yeh've got yer books an'… an'… now yeh need the Magical Creatures. Yeah. So I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on…" **

**He strode away from them into the forest and out of sight. **

"This sucks, now Hagrid isn't as confident as before." James mutters, sulky.

"**God, this place is going to the dogs," said Malfoy loudly. "That oaf teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him —" **

"What will he do? He's not on the board anymore, if I'm right, and it's really just you being a brat." Lily snaps, getting tired easier than earlier on in the week. James looks over at his wife, wondering if she's ok before he wraps her in his arms and strokes her arm.

"**Shut up, Malfoy," Harry repeated. **

"**Careful, Potter, there's a Dementor behind you —"**

"Not something to joke about," Sirius growls, causing Malfoy to shift uncomfortably and Harry to squirm in order to get comfortable from being moved.

"**Oooooooh!" squealed Lavender Brown, pointing toward the opposite side of the paddock. **

**Trotting toward them were a dozen of the most bizarre creatures Harry had ever seen. They had the bodies, hind legs, and tails of horses, but the front legs, wings, and heads of what seemed to be giant eagles, with cruel, steel-colored beaks and large, brilliantly, orange eyes. **

"Oh, Hippogriffs. Always wanted to ride one." James sighs while Harry grins and chuckles, causing Sirius to arch an eyebrow in slight confusion.

**The talons on their front legs were half a foot long and deadly looking. Each of the beasts had a thick leather collar around its neck, which was attached to a long chain, and the ends of all of these were held in the vast hands of Hagrid, who came jogging into the paddock behind the creatures. **

"**Gee up, there!" he roared, shaking the chains and urging the creatures toward the fence where the class stood. Everyone drew back slightly as Hagrid reached them and tethered the creatures to the fence. **

"**Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. "Beau'iful, aren' they?" **

**Harry could sort of see what Hagrid meant. Once you got over the first shock of seeing something that was half horse, half bird, you started to appreciate the Hippogriffs' gleaming coats, changing smoothly from feather to hair, each of them a different color: stormy gray, bronze, pinkish roan, gleaming chestnut, and inky black. **

"Definitely an amazing creature," James sighs, leaning backwards.

"**So," said Hagrid, rubbing his hands together and beaming around, "if yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer…" **

**No one seemed to want to. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, however, approached the fence cautiously. **

"There's that Gryffindor bravery." Someone snorts as the three blush.

"**Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' Hippogriffs is, they're proud," said Hagrid. "Easily offended, Hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do."**

"PLEASE listen to that sentence," Ron interrupts, nearly snarling.

"In fact, Remus, can you repeat it?" Harry questions and Remus nods.

"**Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' Hippogriffs is, they're proud," said Hagrid. "Easily offended, Hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do."**

"Thank you Moon." Harry whispers.

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle weren't listening; they were talking in an undertone and Harry had a nasty feeling they were plotting how best to disrupt the lesson. **

"Because they pretty much were," Hermione snorts, scowling.

"**Yeh always wait fer the Hippogriff ter make the firs' move," Hagrid continued. "It's polite, see? Yeh walk toward him, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed ter touch him. If he doesn' bow, then get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt." **

"Never heard any better advice anywhere else," James snorts, chuckling.

"**Right — who wants ter go first?" **

**Most of the class backed farther away in answer. Even Harry, Ron, and Hermione had misgivings. The Hippogriffs were tossing their fierce heads and flexing their powerful wings; they didn't seem to like being tethered like this.**

"Aw, c'mon." James groans, slightly pouting.

"**No one?" said Hagrid, with a pleading look.**

"The pleading look did me in," Harry whispers towards no one, causing the people around him to laugh.

"**I'll do it," said Harry. **

**There was an intake of breath from behind him, and both Lavender and Parvati whispered, "Oooh, no, Harry, remember your tea leaves!"**

"Oh, c'mon." Lily snorts, rolling her eyes at naivety of the girls.

**Harry ignored them. He climbed over the paddock fence. **

"**Good man, Harry!" roared Hagrid. "Right then — let's see how yeh get on with Buckbeak." **

"BUCKBEAK!" Sirius shouts, causing Harry to jump slightly before he settles down.

"Sorry pup." Sirius laughs while Harry shrugs and smiles, wishing he could live with Sirius.

**He untied one of the chains, pulled the gray Hippogriff away from its fellows, and slipped off its leather collar. The class on the other side of the paddock seemed to be holding its breath. Malfoy's eyes were narrowed maliciously. **

"What are you planning?" Narcissa snarls, not impressed at the moment.

"**Easy now, Harry," said Hagrid quietly. "Yeh've got eye contact, now try not ter blink… Hippogriffs don' trust yeh if yeh blink too much…" **

"Well that's not going to help him," Remus interrupts himself, rolling his eyes.

**Harry's eyes immediately began to water, but he didn't shut them. **

"Told yeah," Remus mutters before he shakes his head and continues reading.

**Buckbeak had turned his great, sharp head and was staring at Harry with one fierce orange eye.**

"**Tha's it," said Hagrid. "Tha's it, Harry… now, bow." **

**Harry didn't feel much like exposing the back of his neck to Buckbeak, but he did as he was told. **

"Smart idea, Potter." Mad-Eye growls.

**He gave a short bow and then looked up. The Hippogriff was still staring haughtily at him. It didn't move. **

"Meep," Lily makes, causing James to snort and Snape to roll his eyes before muttering, "I would've calmed her down there," while James glares.

"She said it jokingly, Severus. She doesn't actually _need _calming down." He seethes.

"**Ah," said Hagrid, sounding worried. "Right — back away, now, Harry, easy does it —" **

**But then, to Harry's enormous surprise, the Hippogriff suddenly bent its scaly front knees and sank into what was an unmistakable bow. **

"That's my son right there," Lily grins.

"**Well done, Harry!" said Hagrid, ecstatic. "Right — yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!" **

**Feeling that a better reward would have been to back away, Harry moved slowly toward the Hippogriff and reached out toward it. He patted the beak several times and the Hippogriff closed its eyes lazily, as though enjoying it. **

"He likes his beak being stroked, so yeah, he was enjoying it." Sirius whispers, poking his godson's stomach, causing him to laugh.

**The class broke into applause, all except for Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were looking deeply disappointed. **

"Oy!" James grunts, clearly annoyed.

"**Righ' then, Harry," said Hagrid. "I reckon he migh' let yeh ride him!" **

"No bloody way," James says in awe, completely jealous of his own son.

"Please tell me you don't do it," Lily groans.

**This was more than Harry had bargained for. He was used to a broomstick; but he wasn't sure a Hippogriff would be quite the same. **

"You seemed pretty good on it when you saved me," Sirius snorts.

"**Yeh climb up there, jus' behind the wing joint," said Hagrid, "an' mind yeh don' pull any of his feathers out, he won' like that…"**

Snorts were heard coming from various places of the great hall, most notably from Percy, who blushed afterwards.

**Harry put his foot on the top of Buckbeak's wing and hoisted himself onto its back. Buckbeak stood up. Harry wasn't sure where to hold on; everything in front of him was covered with feathers. **

"It's a good thought," Lily states, shrugging slightly, deciding to be used to her son's antics.

"**Go on, then!" roared Hagrid, slapping the Hippogriffs hindquarters. Without warning, twelve-foot wings flapped open on either side of Harry, he just had time to seize the Hippogriff around the neck before he was soaring upward. It was nothing like a broomstick, and Harry knew which one he preferred; the Hippogriff's wings beat uncomfortably on either side of him, catching him under his legs and making him feel he was about to be thrown off; the glossy feathers slipped under his fingers and he didn't dare get a stronger grip; instead of the smooth action of his Nimbus Two Thousand, he now felt himself rocking backward and forward as the hindquarters of the Hippogriff rose and fell with its wings. **

"That doesn't sound fun," James states, his head cocked and a grimace on his face.

**Buckbeak flew him once around the paddock and then headed back to the ground; this was the bit Harry had been dreading; he leaned back as the smooth neck lowered, feeling he was going to slip off over the beak, then felt a heavy thud as the four ill-assorted feet hit the ground. He just managed to hold on and push himself straight again. **

"Definitely didn't sound fun," Sirius mutters, looking over at Harry with a critical eye.

"**Good work, Harry!" roared Hagrid as everyone except Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle cheered. **

"Of course, cause, y'know, they clearly don't have minds of their own." Tonks snorts.

"**Okay, who else wants a go?" Emboldened by Harry's success, the rest of the class climbed cautiously into the paddock. Hagrid untied the Hippogriffs one by one, and soon people were bowing nervously, all over the paddock. Neville ran repeatedly backward from his, which didn't seem to want to bend its knees.**

"They can sense when you're nervous, mate." Sirius says, causing Neville to widen his eyes and look at Harry, fear in his eyes a bit, causing Harry to laugh.

**Ron and Hermione practiced on the chestnut, while Harry watched. **

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had taken over Buckbeak. He had bowed to Malfoy, who was now patting his beak, looking disdainful. **

"Yeah, well, it probably doesn't like being touched by you so."

"**This is very easy," Malfoy drawled, loud enough for Harry to, hear him. "I knew it must have been, if Potter could do it… I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?" he said to the Hippogriff. "Are you, you great ugly brute?" **

"And clearly, you are a fricken idiot," Narcissa mutters at the same time as Lily, who smiles towards the blond, who smiles back. Harry, having seen this, looks towards Sirius questioningly who smiles.

"They were actually friends in school. Narcissa is like me. Didn't want to be a Black but unable to get out of the family." He whispers and Harry nods his head in understanding.

**It happened in a flash of steely talons;**

"That doesn't sound good."

**Malfoy let out a high pitched scream and next moment, Hagrid was wrestling Buckbeak back into his collar as he strained to get at Malfoy, who lay curled in the grass, blood blossoming over his robes. **

"Definitely not good,"

"Though the idiot deserved it."

"**I'm dying!" Malfoy yelled as the class panicked. "I'm dying, look at me! It's killed me!"**

"If you were dying, you wouldn't be able to talk like that," James interrupts, rolling his eyes at the dramatics.

"**Yer not dyin'!" said Hagrid, who had gone very white. "Someone help me — gotta get him outta here —" **

"Thank goodness. Can't stand another minute of hearing Malfoy talk." Remus mutters.

**Hermione ran to hold open the gate as Hagrid lifted Malfoy easily. As they passed, Harry saw that there was a long, deep gash on Malfoy's arm; blood splattered the grass and Hagrid ran with him, up the slope toward the castle. **

**Very shaken, the Care of Magical Creatures class followed at a walk. The Slytherins were all shouting about Hagrid. **

"**They should sack him straight away!" said Pansy Parkinson, who was in tears.**

"Are Slytherin's always this dramatic?" Lily sighs while she shakes her head

"**It was Malfoy's fault!" snapped Dean Thomas. Crabbe and Goyle flexed their muscles threateningly. **

"Well it was true!" Sirius mutters, crossing his arms.

**They all climbed the stone steps into the deserted entrance hall. **

"**I'm going to see if he's okay!" said Pansy, and they all watched her run up the marble staircase. The Slytherins, still muttering about Hagrid, headed away in the direction of their dungeon common room; Harry, Ron, and Hermione proceeded upstairs to Gryffindor Tower. **

"**You think he'll be all right?" said Hermione nervously. **

"Why would you be nervous for that pompous asshole?" Ginny questions.

"I wasn't nervous for him, I was nervous for Hagrid. Knowing Malfoy, he would do everything he could to make sure Hagrid was fired or something." Hermione replied, disgusted.

"**Course he will. Madam Pomfrey can mend cuts in about a second," said Harry, who had had far worse injuries mended magically by the nurse. **

"Such a Potter," Poppy mutters.

"**That was a really bad thing to happen in Hagrid's first class, though, wasn't it?" said Ron, looking worried. "Trust Malfoy to mess things up for him…" They were among the first to reach the Great Hall at dinnertime, hoping to see Hagrid, but he wasn't there. **

"Of course not."

"**They wouldn't fire him, would they?" said Hermione anxiously, not touching her steak-and-kidney pudding. **

"Which is surprising, because that's her favourite." Harry snorts.

"**They'd better not," said Ron, who wasn't eating either. **

"That's an even bigger surprise." Bill laughs.

**Harry was watching the Slytherin table. A large group including Crabbe and Goyle was huddled together, deep in conversation. Harry was sure they were cooking up their own version of how Malfoy had been injured. **

"Definitely."

"**Well, you can't say it wasn't an interesting first day back," said Ron gloomily. **

**They went up to the crowded Gryffindor common room after dinner and tried to do the homework Professor McGonagall had given them, but all three of them kept breaking off and glancing out of the tower window.**

"Aw." James mutters.

"**There's a light on in Hagrid's window," Harry said suddenly. **

"Go. Go to Hagrid." Lily laughs.

**Ron looked at his watch. **

"**If we hurried, we could go down and see him. It's still quite early…" **

"**I don't know," Hermione said slowly, and Harry saw her glance at him. **

"Oy!" Sirius laughs, shaking his head as Hermione shrugs apologetically.

"**I'm allowed to walk across the **_**grounds**_**," he said pointedly. "Sirius Black hasn't got past the Dementors yet, has he?"**

"Well no, not yet. But soon, I think." Hermione says.

**So they put their things away and headed out of the portrait hole, glad to meet nobody on their way to the front doors, as they weren't entirely sure they were supposed to be out. **

**The grass was still wet and looked almost black in the twilight. When they reached Hagrid's hut, they knocked, and a voice growled, "C'min." **

**Hagrid was sitting in his shirtsleeves at his scrubbed wooden table; his boarhound, Fang, had his head in Hagrid's lap. One look told them that Hagrid had been drinking a lot; there was a pewter tankard almost as big as a bucket in front of him, and he seemed to be having difficulty getting them into focus. **

"Jesus Merlin Hagrid." Minerva gasps, shaking her head as James grimaces and Lily sighs.

"'**Spect it's a record," he said thickly, when he recognized them. "Don' reckon they've ever had a teacher who lasted on'y a day before." **

"Oh, don't say that." Sirius says, feeling slightly sick.

"**You haven't been fired, Hagrid!" gasped Hermione. **

"**Not yet," said Hagrid miserably, taking a huge gulp of whatever was in the tankard. "But's only a matter o' time, I'n't, after Malfoy…" **

"**How is he?" said Ron as they all sat down. "It wasn't serious, was it?" **

"**Madam Pomfrey fixed him best she could," said Hagrid dully, "but he's sayin' it's still agony… covered in bandages… moanin'…"**

"What a big liar." James groans.

"**He's faking it," said Harry at once. "Madam Pomfrey can mend anything. She regrew half my bones last year. Trust Malfoy to milk it for all it's worth."**

"Indeed!" Poppy says while many others nod their heads and Malfoy shrinks back into himself.

"**School gov'nors have bin told, o' course," said Hagrid miserably. "They reckon I started too big. Shoulda left Hippogriffs fer later… one flobberworms or summat… Jus' thought it'd make a good firs' lesson's all my fault…" **

"It is NOT!" James shouts, causing many people to jump in surprise.

"Who would have thought my dad was so awesome about Hagrid?" Harry mutters while Sirius laughs.

"**It's all **_**Malfoy's **_**fault, Hagrid!" said Hermione earnestly. **

"**We're witnesses," said Harry. "You said Hippogriffs attack if you insult them. It's Malfoy's problem that he wasn't listening. We'll tell Dumbledore what really happened." **

"**Yeah, don't worry, Hagrid, we'll back you up," said Ron.**

"Good friends, all of you." Minerva cries.

**Tears leaked out of the crinkled corners of Hagrid's beetle-black eyes. He grabbed both Harry and Ron and pulled them into a bone-breaking hug. **

"**I think you've had enough to drink, Hagrid," said Hermione firmly. She took the tankard from the table and went outside to empty it.**

"Atta girl," Sirius laughs.

"**Ah, maybe she's right," said Hagrid, letting go of Harry and Ron, who both staggered away, rubbing their ribs. Hagrid heaved himself out of his chair and followed Hermione unsteadily outside. They heard a loud splash. **

"**What's he done?" said Harry nervously as Hermione came back in with the empty tankard. **

"**Stuck his head in the water barrel," said Hermione, putting the tankard away. **

**Hagrid came back, his long hair and beard sopping wet, wiping the water out of his eyes.**

"That's one way to sober yourself," Remus laughs.

"**That's better," he said, shaking his head like a dog and drenching them all.**

"Resenting that, kiddo." Sirius laughs while Harry blushes.

"**Listen, it was good of yeh ter come an' see me, I really —" **

**Hagrid stopped dead, staring at Harry as though he'd only just realized he was there.**

"Merlin, here we go," James laughs, smirking at his best friend, who only shakes his head and sighs.

"**WHAT D'YEH THINK YOU'RE DOIN', EH?" he roared, so suddenly that they jumped a foot in the air. "YEH'RE NOT TO GO WANDERIN' AROUND AFTER DARK, HARRY! AN, YOU TWO! LETTIN' HIM!" Hagrid strode over to Harry, grabbed his arm, and pulled him to the door. **

"**C'mon!" Hagrid said angrily. "I'm takin' yer all back up ter school an' don' let me catch yeh walkin' down ter see me after dark again. I'm not worth that!"**

"But he is!" Harry says, causing Hagrid to grin and everyone to shrug.

"And plus, Siri would never hurt me!" Harry pouts.

"But they don't know that yet, kiddo." Sirius laughs, as he watches the book fly out of Remus' hands and into his own.

"Oh." He says suddenly, before shrugging and continuing.

* * *

**Authors Note: **Hey guys! Did you enjoy the chapter? I hope so! I have a favor to ask of you all. There's another poll on my profile page, but this one is more fun. Basically, I have the first chapter written of three different stories that I've been planning, and I want y'all to go vote on which one you want me to post. The **first** one is a story where Harry is followed by James and Lily throughout his years at Hogwarts. I've read many like it and thought I'd try one of my own, especially since my favorite one hasn't been updated in more than two years. The **second **story is where after the war, Harry is able to go back to his first year and fix things, change things, save people. It would have extreme Weasley and Dumbledore bashing (other than the twins) and won't be canon in many ways. The **third **story is where Sirius doesn't give Harry to Hagrid, takes him somewhere, and they grow up together. It won't actually start right away, but does start at Hogwarts. Also has extreme bashing. All stories are Harry/Hermione. There's also a fourth option of me posting all stories simultaneously, alongside this one, but if I do that, _**you understand that updates will be really**_** _slow._**So, go vote. :)

Also, updates for this won't happen until next week possibly, because I have 4 tests this week that are worth a lot. Sorry guys!


	46. Chapter 46

**Authors Note: **Hey guys, sorry for the wait on this chapter. I was busy finishing up with my first term of college and trying to save my money (which trust me, didn't go so well, despite receiving birthday money! .) Anyways, here this chapter is. Hopefully there'll be another one uploaded soon, as I'm on break for three weeks. I'll also be trying to update my other stories soon, so keep an eye on those. Hope you enjoy the chapter!**  
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**CHAPTER SEVEN**, Sirius starts, clearing his throat slightly while Harry inches up closer to his stomach so he can also read the book.

**The Boggart in the Wardrobe **

"That sounds interesting." Lily mutters.

"Maybe its Remus' class?" James whispers, nodding in approval.

**Malfoy didn't reappear in classes until late on Thursday morning, when the Slytherins and Gryffindors were halfway through double Potions.**

"Let me guess, he milks it for all its worth," Sirius interrupts himself, snorting, while Harry pokes him.

**He swaggered into the dungeon, his right arm covered in bandages and bound up in a sling, acting, in Harry's opinion, as though he were the heroic survivor of some dreadful battle.**

"Clearly, he wasn't." Someone snorts while Draco turns red.

"**How is it, Draco?" simpered Pansy Parkinson. "Does it hurt much?"**

"**Yeah," said Malfoy, putting on a brave sort of grimace. But Harry saw him wink at Crabbe and Goyle when Pansy had looked away. **

"Disgusting." Lily and Narcissa say at the same time, causing many heads to turn in surprise.

"**Settle down, settle down," said Professor Snape idly. **

"Like he cares," James snorts.

**Harry and Ron scowled at each other; Snape wouldn't have said 'settle down' if ****they'd ****walked in late, he'd have given them detention. **

"Ugh. What a hypocrite," Lily snarls.

**But Malfoy had always been able to get away with anything in Snape's classes;**

"Probably because it's his godson," Sirius interrupts himself, snarling quietly to Harry, who smirks.

**Snape was head of Slytherin House, and generally favored his own students above all others. **

"Well, we'll see how that goes after we read these," Minerva fumes to Pomona, who nods her head.

**They were making a new potion today, a Shrinking Solution. Malfoy set up his cauldron right next to Harry and Ron, **

"That doesn't sound like a good idea," Someone snorts, shaking their head.

- **so that they were preparing their ingredients on the same table. **

"**Sir," Malfoy called, "sir, I'll need help cutting up these daisy roots, because of my arm —"**

"Oh, c'mon." Remus mutters, shaking his head in disgust.

"**Weasley, cut up Malfoy's roots for him," said Snape without looking up. **

"Ugh, and you call me arrogant?" James mutters, unimpressed.

**Ron went brick red. **

The current Ron did the same thing, causing everyone to laugh at him.

"**There's nothing wrong with your arm," he hissed at Malfoy. **

"Please tell that brat!" Someone mutters.

**Malfoy smirked across the table. **

"**Weasley, you heard Professor Snape; cut up these roots." **

"Rat bastard," Lily mumbles, rolling her eyes.

**Ron seized his knife, pulled Malfoy's roots toward him, and began to chop them roughly, so that they were all different sizes. **

"I wouldn't do that, mate." George grimaces shaking his head slightly.

"**Professor," drawled Malfoy, "Weasley's mutilating my roots, sir." **

"Hate to tell you so but—" George starts only to stop when he sees Ron glare at him.

**Snape approached their table, stared down his hooked nose at the roots, then gave Ron an unpleasant smile from beneath his long, greasy black hair. **

"Ugh, how attractive," James says with a grimace on his face while Snape glares at him.

"**Change roots with Malfoy, Weasley." **

"Now that's not fair at all," Minerva mutters, angry for her students.

"**But, sir —!" **

**Ron had spent the last quarter of an hour carefully shredding his own roots into exactly equal pieces. **

"Definitely not fair," Pomona replies, disgusted.

"**Now****," said Snape in his most dangerous voice. **

"We need to find a way to get back at him," Lily mutters, while James stares at his wife with interest, wondering where her strong hatred for Snape came form.

**Ron shoved his own beautifully cut roots across the table at Malfoy, then took up the knife again. **

"I will always be bitter and resentful about that," Ron mutters to Harry, who nods his head. Sirius nearly stops reading, but continues onward, smirking slightly.

"**And, sir, I'll need this shrivelfig skinned," said Malfoy, his voice full of malicious laughter.**

"If you pick on my son, Severus," James whispers, his fists clenched, similar to how Harry clenches his own.

"**Potter, you can skin Malfoy's shrivelfig," said Snape, giving Harry the look of loathing he always reserved just for him. **

"He needs to grow up," someone mutters while Snape glares in that general direction.

**Harry took Malfoy's shrivelfig as Ron began trying to repair the damage to the roots he now had to use. Harry skinned the shrivelfig as fast as he could and flung it back across the table at Malfoy without speaking. Malfoy was smirking more broadly than ever. **

Narcissa could be seen glaring slightly at this sentence, and many people saw Draco flinch and turn pale.

"**Seen your pal Hagrid lately?" he asked them quietly. **

"Stay out of their business," Remus nearly snarls.

"**None of your business," said Ron jerkily, without looking up. **

"**I'm afraid he won't be a teacher much longer," said Malfoy in a tone of mock sorrow. **

"**Father's not very happy about my injury —" **

"You won't be able to go to Daddy all the time, you know," James interrupts in a mock pout causing Harry to burst out laughing.

"**Keep talking, Malfoy, and I'll give you a real injury," snarled Ron. **

"You tell 'im Ron," Hagrid says.

"– **he's complained to the school governors. And to the Ministry of Magic. Father's got a lot of influence, you know. And a lasting injury like this" — he gave a huge, fake sigh — "who knows if my arm'll ever be the same again?" **

"Your son is disgusting me, Narcissa," Lily whispers dramatically while Narcissa smirks and many others laugh.

"**So that's why you're putting it on," said Harry, accidentally beheading a dead caterpillar because his hand was shaking in anger, "To try to get Hagrid fired." **

"Harry, calm yourself down, kiddo." James says while Harry blushes as Sirius ruffles his hair.

"**Well," said Malfoy, lowering his voice to a whisper, "****partly****, Potter. But there are other benefits too. Weasley, slice my caterpillars for me." **

Many people gave Malfoy looks of disgust as he shuffled around slightly, embarrassed at his previous actions but not willing enough to admit to it.

**A few cauldrons away, Neville was in trouble.**

"Why does this not surprise me?" Remus whispers to Harry who smiles slightly.

**Neville regularly went to pieces in Potions lessons; it was his worst subject, and his great fear of Professor Snape made things ten times worse.**

"Yes, but that's because he's a bat. A greasy-haired bat." Lily mutters.

**His potion, which was supposed to be a bright, acid green, had turned — **

"Please be the correct color," Someone mutters.

"Right. Because Longbottom always does things correctly," Someone replies causing Neville to blush.

"**Orange, Longbottom," said Snape, ladling some up and allowing to splash back into the cauldron, so that everyone could see. **

"Oh, poor Neville."

"Yeah, if I had to have Snivellus that close to me, I'd be poor, too." Harry mutters, rolling his eyes while Sirius pauses mid-word to snort.

"**Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn't you hear me say, quite clearly, that only one cat spleen was needed? Didn't I state plainly that a dash of leech juice would suffice? What do I have to do to make you understand, Longbottom?" **

**Neville was pink and trembling. He looked as though he was on the verge of tears. **

"Snape will do that to you," Ron mumbles, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"**Please, sir," said Hermione, "please, I could help Neville put it right —" **

"**I don't remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger," said Snape coldly, and Hermione went as pink as Neville.**

"Asshole." Harry snarls, protective of his girlfriend, causing Hermione to go pink once more.

"**Longbottom, at the end of this lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly." **

"Is that even legal?" Someone mutters, disgusted at their professor.

**Snape moved away, leaving Neville breathless with fear. "Help me!" he moaned to Hermione. **

"Please tell me you helped him, since you're such a wonderful girl," James moans.

"**Hey, Harry," said Seamus Finnigan, leaning over to borrow Harry's brass scales, "have you heard? ****Daily Prophet ****this morning — they reckon Sirius Black's been sighted."**

"Oh yeah. Forgot what this book was about," Lily mutters glaring at Peter, who inches away from the glare.

"**Where?" said Harry and Ron quickly. On the other side of the table, Malfoy looked up, listening closely. **

"You do realize that it is very rude to eavesdrop, don't you?" Narcissa snarls while Draco flinches himself.

"**Not too far from here," said Seamus, who looked excited. "It was a Muggle who saw him. **

'**Course, she didn't really understand. The Muggles think he's just an ordinary criminal, don't they? So she phoned the telephone hot line. By the time the Ministry of Magic got there, he was gone." **

"He was always a fast ol' dog," Remus grins causing Harry to laugh.

"**Not too far from here…" Ron repeated, looking significantly at Harry. He turned around and saw Malfoy watching closely. "What, Malfoy? Need something else skinned?"**

"Please say yes."

**But Malfoy's eyes were shining malevolently, and they were fixed Harry. He leaned across the table. **

"Now that I know what the rat bastard meant, I'm kind of pissed off at him," Harry mutters, while his parents look at him with confusion.

"**Thinking of trying to catch Black single-handed, Potter?" **

"**Yeah, that's right," said Harry offhandedly. **

**Malfoy's thin mouth was curving in a mean smile. **

"This can't be good," Lily whispers to her husband, who nods his head.

"**Of course, if it was me," he said quietly, "I'd have done something before now. I wouldn't be staying in school like a good boy, I'd be out there looking for him." **

"You know, it wasn't even any of your damn business," Remus mutters, growling.

"**What are you talking about, Malfoy?" said Ron roughly. **

"**Don't you ****know****, Potter?" breathed Malfoy, his pale eyes narrowed. **

"**Know what?" Malfoy let out a low, sneering laugh. **

"Sickening," James mutters.

"**Maybe you'd rather not risk your neck," he said. "Want to leave it to the Dementors, do you? But if it was me, I'd want revenge. I'd hunt him down myself." **

"I hate how much I agree with this," Harry whispers, shifting slightly, feeling somewhat bad.

"**What are you talking about?****" said Harry angrily, but at that moment Snape called, "You should have finished adding your ingredients by now; this potion needs to stew before it can be drunk, so clear away while it simmers and then we'll test Longbottom's…" **

"What. An. Asshole," Lily says, avoiding Snape's eyes and squinting slightly. James watches his wife and bites his lip.

"You know, it's okay to forgive him love." He whispers, Lily's head snapping to his in surprise, as her eyes become angry.

"Yes, I could forgive him. Or, I could continue to be very angry with him for abusing our son because of his bitterness towards you. So, I could forgive him, or I could continue to be very angry with the greasy-haired git." She snarls, her fists clenched.

**Crabbe and Goyle laughed openly, watching Neville sweat as he stirred his potion feverishly. Hermione was muttering instructions to him out of the corner of her mouth, so that Snape wouldn't see. **

Snape curls his lips at this while Harry rolls his eyes and puts his head against Sirius' stomach to be more comfortable.

**Harry and Ron packed away their unused ingredients and went to wash their hands and ladles in the stone basin in the corner. **

"**What did Malfoy mean?" Harry muttered to Ron as he stuck his hands under the icy jet that poured from the gargoyle's mouth "Why would I want revenge on Black? He hasn't done anything to me — yet." **

"Do you think he wanted revenge?" Lily asks and James nods his head, worry-lines in his forehead. He doesn't want his son to hate his godfather, but from the looks of it, it might have been plausible at first.

"**He's making it up," said Ron savagely. "He's trying to make you do something stupid…"**

"Did you actually believe that, or?" Harry starts, turning towards Ron who blushes and opens his mouth like a fish.

"Uhm, I actually knew the truth," Ron replies, continuing to blush as Harry nods his head and turns back towards his godfather.

**The end of the lesson in sight, Snape strode over to Neville, who was cowering by his cauldron. **

"**Everyone gather 'round," said Snape, his black eyes glittering, "and watch what happens to Longbottom's toad. If he has managed to produce a Shrinking Solution, it will shrink to a tadpole. If, as I don't doubt, he has done it wrong, his toad is likely to be poisoned." **

"That really is no way to teach, Severus," Minerva interrupts.

**The Gryffindors watched fearfully. The Slytherins looked excited.**

Many people had different reactions to this sentence, but most people ended up rolling their eyes in aggravation over the Slytherin's behaviour.

**Snape picked up Trevor the toad in his left hand and dipped a small spoon into Neville's potion, which was now green. He trickled a few drops down Trevor's throat. **

"Oh Merlin, I'm way too nervous for this," Lily mutters, putting her head in her hands.

**There was a moment of hushed silence, in which Trevor gulped; then there was a small ****pop****, and Trevor the tadpole was wriggling in Snape's palm.**

"Oh thank merlin, it worked!" James whispers, feeling his heartbeat lower itself.

**The Gryffindors burst into applause. Snape, looking sour, pulled a small bottle from the pocket of his robe, poured a few drops on top of Trevor, and he reappeared suddenly, fully grown. **

"Not good," Harry mutters, causing Sirius to stop reading briefly and frown towards his godson quickly.

"**Five points from Gryffindor," said Snape, which wiped the smiles from every face. "I told you not to help him, Miss Granger. Class dismissed." **

"Bastard," Someone hisses.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione climbed the steps to the entrance hall. Harry was still thinking about what Malfoy had said, while Ron was seething about Snape. **

"Sounds about right for a Gryffindor and Slytherin rivalry." James interrupts, nodding his head.

"**Five points from Gryffindor because the potion was all right! Why didn't you lie, Hermione? You should've said Neville did it all by himself!" **

**Hermione didn't answer. Ron looked around. "Where is she?" **

"She's not there?" James mutters, shaking his head with a smirk while many people look at him in confusion.

**Harry turned too. They were at the top of the steps now, watching the rest of the class pass them, heading for the Great Hall and lunch. **

"Tripppppy" Neville laughs as everyone else laughs in turn.

"**She was right behind us," said Ron, frowning. **

**Malfoy passed them, walking between Crabbe and Goyle. He smirked at Harry and disappeared. **

"Asshole," Hermione mutters, who had remained quiet up until now.

"**There she is," said Harry. **

"Why does it make me so happy that he can pick her out immediately in a crowd?" Lily giggles, clapping her hands in happiness.

**Hermione was panting slightly, hurrying up the stairs; one hand clutched her bag, the other seemed to be tucking something down the front of her robes. **

"Atta boy, thinking that way already!" James grins as Sirius snorts and Remus scoffs and Harry blushes, making everyone else laugh.

"**How did you do that?" said Ron. **

"**What?" said Hermione, joining them. **

"**One minute you were right behind us, the next moment, you were back at the bottom of the stairs again." **

"Well, someone's observant right now," Fred smirks.

"**What?" Hermione looked slightly confused. "Oh — I had to go back for something. Oh no —"**

"Let me guess, the seam on your bag split," Lily interrupts as Sirius arches his eyebrow.

"What? The same thing has happened to me many times," She shrugs.

**A seam had split on Hermione's bag. Harry wasn't surprised;**

"See, even my son knows these things," Lily grins.

-** he could see that it was crammed with at least a dozen large and heavy books. **

"Man, that really does sound like you, Lils," James snorts.

"**Why are you carrying all these around with you?" Ron asked her. **

"Well, that's kind of obvious," Remus smirks, shaking his head in amusement.

"**You know how many subjects I'm taking," said Hermione breathlessly. "Couldn't hold these for me, could you?" **

"**But —" Ron was turning over the books she had handed him, looking at the covers. "You haven't got any of these subjects today. It's only Defense Against the Dark Arts this afternoon." **

"That's what you think," Harry snorts, remembering what really had gone on. Ron continues to look confused as Hermione smirks at him and Sirius coughs lightly, trying not to laugh.

"**Oh yes," said Hermione vaguely, but she packed all the books back into her bag just the same. "I hope there's something good for lunch, I'm starving," she added, and she marched off toward the Great Hall. **

"AND SHE THINKS WITH HER STOMACH!" James shouts, slapping the table in his excitement while many other people jumped up in surprise.

"Okay dear," Lily smirks at her husband.

"**D'you get the feeling Hermione's not telling us something?" Ron asked Harry. **

Harry bursts out laughing from this. "Someone is always not telling us something, Ron," Harry continues to laugh while the twins smirk and Sirius smiles sadly at his godson, vowing to tell him everything as soon as he could.

**Professor Lupin wasn't there when they arrived at his first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. **

"Holy shit, it's only his first one?" James interrupts, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Man, it feels like we've been reading this forever!" Lily says slightly, putting her chin in her hands and sighing while many others nod their heads in agreement.

**They all sat down, took out their books, quills, and parchment, and were talking when he finally entered the room. Lupin smiled vaguely and placed his tatty old briefcase on the teacher's desk.**

"Thanks Harry," Remus smirks as Harry blushes.

**He was as shabby as ever but looked healthier than he had on the train, as though he had had a few square meals. **

This time it was Remus who blushed and James snorted at his friends reaction.

"**Good afternoon," he said. "Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today's will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands." **

**A few curious looks were exchanged as the class put away their books. They had never had a practical Defense Against the Dark Arts class before, unless you counted the memorable class last year when their old teacher had brought a cageful of pixies to class and set them loose. **

"We were very happy," A fifth year mumbles while many others nod their heads.

"Please come back, Professor," Another person pleads while Remus smiles apologetically.

"**Right then," said Professor Lupin, when everyone was ready. "If you'd follow me." **

"I wonder what he'll be teaching them about," James mumbles

**Puzzled but interested, the class got to its feet and followed Professor Lupin out of the classroom. He led them along the deserted corridor and around a corner, where the first thing they saw was Peeves the Poltergeist, who was floating upside down in midair and stuffing the nearest keyhole with chewing gum.**

"Please let this be amazing," James smirks, remembering the hold the group use to have on the poltergeist.

**Peeves didn't look up until Professor Lupin was two feet away; then he wiggled his curly-toed feet and broke into song. **

James' face instantly fell and hardened, "Anything but what I think it'll be." He groans.

"**Loony, loopy Lupin," Peeves sang. "Loony, loopy Lupin, loony, loopy Lupin —"**

"Not nice, Peeves." Lily sighs, shaking her head.

**Rude and unmanageable as he almost always was, Peeves usually showed some respect toward the teachers. **

James snorted this time around, "That's because Remus isn't a teacher,"

**Everyone looked quickly at Professor Lupin to see how he would take this; to their surprise, he was still smiling. **

"Peeves will always make me laugh," Remus smiles while Umbridge sneers at him.

"**I'd take that gum out of the keyhole if I were you, Peeves," he said pleasantly. "Mr. Filch won't be able to get in to his brooms." **

**Filch was the Hogwarts caretaker, a bad-tempered, failed wizard who waged a constant war against the students and, indeed, Peeves. However, Peeves paid no attention to Professor Lupin's words, except to blow a loud wet raspberry. **

"Just like Peeves," Lily snorts.

**Professor Lupin gave a small sigh and took out his wand. **

"**This is a useful little spell," he told the class over his shoulder. "Please watch closely." **

**He raised the wand to shoulder height, said, "****Waddiwasi****!" and pointed it at Peeves. **

"Ah, one of our own creations, then?" Sirius interrupts himself while James and Remus nod with smiles on their faces, while the twins look on in confusion.

**With the force of a bullet, the wad of chewing gum shot out of the keyhole and straight down Peeves's left nostril; he whirled upright and zoomed away, cursing. **

"Cool!' Many people who hadn't experienced the event say, their eyes wide with amazement.

"**Cool, sir!" said Dean Thomas in amazement. **

"**Thank you, Dean," said Professor Lupin, putting his wand away again. "Shall we proceed?" **

**They set off again, the class looking at shabby Professor Lupin with increased respect.**

"Remus, blush." James grins while Remus rolls his eyes.

**He led them down a second corridor and stopped, right outside the staffroom door.**

"You're going to see the staffroom?" Lily questions, kind of unimpressed while Remus sticks his tongue out at her. She laughs and shakes her head.

"**Inside, please," said Professor Lupin, opening it and standing back. **

**The staffroom, a long, paneled room full of old, mismatched chairs, was empty except for one teacher.**

"Please be McGonagall, please be McGonagall, please be—"

"It wasn't me, James." Minerva sighs and James flinches.

**Professor Snape was sitting in a low armchair, and he looked around as the class filed in. His eyes were glittering and there was a nasty sneer playing around his mouth. **

"So – nothing new then?" Lily sighs, looking absolutely bored as Snape flinches.

**As Professor Lupin came in and made to close the door behind him, Snape said, "Leave it open, Lupin. I'd rather not witness this." He got to his feet and strode past the class, his black robes billowing behind him. At the doorway he turned on his heel and said, "Possibly no one's warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Not unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ear."**

The whole room went eerily quiet at that as many people silently seethed at Severus. After moments of the silence, James turned to his school enemy and raised an eyebrow.

"No matter how shitty Sirius and I treated you growing up, no matter how horrible your home life was growing up, no matter how bad and low your god-damn self-esteem was Severus, you should never, ever have fucking picked on a god-damn child. It's an abuse of power, seeing as you're their professor, which is quite unfortunate but at the same god-damn time, it's you not being able to grow past the bitter resentment you fucking have over everything that's happened in your god-damn life. It's you not being able to grow up at all, Severus. Maybe you should try that for once in your life, since everyone else has moved the fuck on." James finishes, his fists clenched.

Sirius, not wanting the moment to become more tense, continues to read, despite agreeing wholeheartedly with his best friend.

**Neville went scarlet. Harry glared at Snape; it was bad enough that he bullied Neville in his own classes, let alone doing it in front of other teachers. **

James hmphed and Lily glared at Snape, who looked at the ground.

**Professor Lupin had raised his eyebrows. **

"**I was hoping that Neville would assist me with the first stage of the operation," he said, "and I am sure he will perform it admirably." **

"Wonderful job, Remus." Tonks grins, having remained silent.

**Neville's face went, if possible, even redder. Snape's lip curled, but he left, shutting the door with a snap. **

"He doesn't like getting his way," Someone mutters and people around the room snort.

"**Now, then," said Professor Lupin, beckoning the class toward the end of the room, where there was nothing but an old wardrobe where the teachers kept their spare robes. As Professor Lupin went to stand next to it, the wardrobe gave a sudden wobble, banging off the wall. **

"What the-?" Someone younger than them mutters.

"**Nothing to worry about," said Professor Lupin calmly because a few people had jumped backward in alarm. "There's a Boggart in there." **

"Oh Remus, bloody brilliant!' Lily claps, a wide grin on her face. Remus smiles back, missing his best friends more than ever in this moment.

**Most people seemed to feel that this ****was ****something to worry about. Neville gave Professor Lupin a look of pure terror, and Seamus Finnigan eyed the now rattling doorknob apprehensively. **

"Awh man, had I wish we'd known better," Seamus snorts, shaking his head at his own incredulity.

"**Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces," said Professor Lupin. "Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks — I've even met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock. ****This ****one moved in yesterday afternoon, and I asked the headmaster if the staff would leave it to give my third years some practice."**

"Very nice Remus," James grins.

"**So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what ****is ****a Boggart?"**

"I'm assuming Hermione puts her hand up!" James interrupts while Sirius rolls his eyes and Harry snorts.

**Hermione put up her hand. **

"**It's a shape-shifter," she said. "It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most." **

"Harry, keep her!" James interrupts, causing Harry to choke in surprise and blush.

"**Couldn't have put it better myself," said Professor Lupin, and Hermione glowed. "So the Boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. He does not yet know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door. Nobody knows what a Boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out, he will immediately become whatever each of us most fears. **

"I wonder what Harry fears," Lily murmurs.

"I'd imagine fear within itself," James replies, watching his son carefully for any signs that something bad might happen soon. Seeing none, James nods his head slightly and continues to listen to Sirius read, proud of his best friend's bond with his son.

"**This means," said Professor Lupin, choosing to ignore Neville's small sputter of terror, "that we have a huge advantage over the Boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Harry?" **

"Like Potter would know the answer," Snape snarls while Lily and James glare at the potions master.

**Trying to answer a question with Hermione next to him, bobbing up and down on the balls of her feet with her hand in the air, was very off-putting, but Harry had a go. **

"Harry?" Hermione interrupts, curious about what Harry meant.

"Well, you're intelligent. Really intelligent and growing up the way I grew up, I was never told I was smart or anything. I wasn't even told I was correct. I was always incorrect and wrong and stupid, so being asked something was –" Harry stops, trying not to let his emotions show through. Sirius, having seen this coming, wraps his arm around his godson and gives him a hug, allowing Harry to hide in his chest.

After hearing this, many people glare at Snape, knowing he's never helped with this certain problem and other people look at Harry, trying not to show pity but knowing it's not going too well.

"Sirius, please continue reading," Harry mumbles and Sirius nods, not letting go of his godson.

"**Er — because there are so many of us, it won't know what shape it should be?" **

"Harry, for not being raised in the wizarding world, you're intelligent. Very much so, because how else would you have known that?" Sirius whispers.

"**Precisely," said Professor Lupin, and Hermione put her hand down, looking a little disappointed.**

"Not at you being correct, I swear," Hermione interrupts and Harry smiles in understanding.

"**It's always best to have company when you're dealing with a Boggart. He becomes confused. Which should he become, a headless corpse or a flesh-eating slug? I once saw a Boggart make that very mistake — tried to frighten two people at once and turned himself into half a slug. Not remotely frightening. **

"Remus!" Lily groans, a blush on her face as James snorts.

"Lameee," He laughs while Lily slaps him on the arm.

"I was 13!" She laughs.

'**The charm that repels a Boggart is simple, yet it requires force of mind. You see, the thing that really finishes a Boggart is ****laughter****. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape that you find amusing. **

"This was one of the best classes ever!" Dean grins while many others in the year nod their heads.

"**We will practice the charm without wands first. After me, please… ****riddikulus****!"**

"**Riddikulus!" said the class together. **

"**Good," said Professor Lupin. "Very good. But that was the easy part, I'm afraid. You see, the word alone is not enough. And this is where you come in, Neville." **

"I was so nervous." He mutters while Remus smiles at him in apology for making him worry.

**The wardrobe shook again, though not as much as Neville, who walked forward as though he were heading for the gallows. **

"Awh, don't worry kiddo." James interrupts.

"**Right, Neville," said Professor Lupin. "First things first: what would you say is the thing that frightens you most in the world?" **

**Neville's lips moved, but no noise came out. **

"**I didn't catch that, Neville, sorry," said Professor Lupin cheerfully. **

**Neville looked around rather wildly, as though begging someone to help him, then said, in barely more than a whisper, "Professor Snape." **

James and Lily burst out in laughter, unable to help themselves. Snape glares and Sirius snorts while Remus shakes his head, wishing someone would grow up.

**Nearly everyone laughed. Even Neville grinned apologetically. Professor Lupin, however, looked thoughtful. **

"I was actually trying not to laugh," Remus whispers.

"**Professor Snape… hmmm… Neville, I believe you live with your grandmother?" **

"Ugh, don't make it turn into her, either," Someone whispers. Amelia snorts at this, unable to keep any kind of noise inside her now.

"**Er — yes," said Neville nervously. "But — I don't want the Boggart to turn into her either."**

People snort around the room and Neville smiles slightly.

"**No, no, you misunderstand me," said Professor Lupin, now smiling. "I wonder, could you tell us what sort of clothes your grandmother usually wears?" **

"Oh. My. Merlin." James snorts, his eyes wide as Sirius pauses his reading and they look at each other with similar smirks on their faces.

"Bloody brilliant," James whispers.

**Neville looked startled, but said, "Well… always the same hat. A tall one with a stuffed vulture on top. And a long dress… green, normally… and sometimes a fox-fur scarf."**

"Attractive," Someone whispers

"**And a handbag?" prompted Professor Lupin.**

"**A big red one," said Neville. **

"Jeeze, Professor Lupin, how'd you know that?" Someone asks.

"Please, call me Remus. And, I worked with Augusta quite often when I was younger," Remus replies.

"**Right then," said Professor Lupin. "Can you picture those clothes very clearly, Neville? Can you see them in your mind's eye?" **

"**Yes," said Neville uncertainty, plainly wondering what was coming next. **

"I think we all were," Ron mutters, his legs in front of him, crossed.

"**When the Boggart bursts out of this wardrobe, Neville, and sees you, it will assume the form of Professor Snape," said Lupin. "And you will raise your wand — thus — and cry 'Riddikulus' — and concentrate hard on your grandmother's clothes. If all goes well, Professor Boggart Snape will be forced into that vulture-topped hat, and that green dress, with that big red handbag." **

James and Lily both snort at this sentence while Molly glares slightly, not believing that Lily could be so cruel to someone who was her best friend.

**There was a great shout of laughter. The wardrobe wobbled more violently.**

"Even the kids think it's funny." Lily smiles, wishing the books remain humorous.

"**If Neville is successful, the Boggart is likely to shift his attention to each of us in turn," said Professor Lupin. "I would like all of you to take a moment now to think of the thing that scares you most, and imagine how you might force it to look comical…" **

**The room went quiet. Harry thought… What scared him most in the world? **

"Does he even know?" James whispers, his eyes wide.

**His first thought was Lord Voldemort — a Voldemort returned to full strength. But before he had even started to plan a possible counterattack on a Boggart-Voldemort, a horrible image came floating to the surface of his mind… **

"Oh no," Lily moans, grimacing slightly.

**A rotting, glistening hand, slithering back beneath a black cloak… a long, rattling breath from an unseen mouth… then a cold so penetrating it felt like drowning… **

"So he does fear fear," James whispers, clearly impressed with his son. Many people remain quiet, wondering what that meant about Harry's character.

**Harry shivered, then looked around, hoping no one had noticed. Many people had their eyes shut tight. Ron was muttering to himself, "Take its legs off." Harry was sure he knew what that was about. Ron's greatest fear was spiders. **

"I think after,"

"Reading the last book,"

"Even our fear is,"

"Spiders," The twins say nodding their heads and grimacing.

"**Everyone ready?" said Professor Lupin.**

**Harry felt a lurch of fear. He wasn't ready. How could you make a Dementor less frightening?**

"A truly marvelous question," Neville whispers.

**But he didn't want to ask for more time;**

Many people frowned at that sentence, cursing the Dursley's for what they did to Harry.

-** everyone else was nodding and rolling up their sleeves. **

"You could've asked, Harry. I wouldn't have minded," Remus states, rubbing his face.

"**Neville, we're going to back away," said Professor Lupin. "Let you have a clear field, all right? I'll call the next person forward… Everyone back, now, so Neville can get a clear shot —" **

**They all retreated, backed against the walls, leaving Neville alone beside the wardrobe. He looked pale and frightened, but he had pushed up the sleeves of his robes and was holding his wand ready. **

"I was ready." Neville mutters while Harry closes his eyes to listen to his godfather reading.

"**On the count of three, Neville," said Professor Lupin, who was pointing his own wand at the handle of the wardrobe. "One — two — three —****now****!" **

**A jet of sparks shot from the end of Professor Lupin's wand and hit the doorknob. The wardrobe burst open. Hook-nosed and menacing, Professor Snape stepped out, his eyes flashing at Neville.**

"Right on the bulb,"

**Neville backed away, his wand up, mouthing wordlessly. Snape was bearing down upon him, reaching inside his robes. **

"Because he's a scary, bitter death eater," Someone whispers.

"**R — r — riddikulus! " squeaked Neville. **

"Could've been a little stronger,"

**There was a noise like a whip crack. Snape stumbled; he was wearing a long, lace-trimmed dress and a towering hat topped with a moth-eaten vulture, and he was swinging a huge crimson handbag. **

"I. Must. See. That!" James laughs, kicking his legs back in excitement. A photo flies down in front of him and grabbing it, James bursts into laughter, throwing the photo to his wife, who giggles.

**There was a roar of laughter; the Boggart paused, confused, and Professor Lupin shouted, "Parvati! Forward!"**

**Parvati walked forward, her face set. Snape rounded on her. There was another crack, and where he had stood was a bloodstained, bandaged mummy; its sightless face was turned to Parvati and it began to walk toward her very slowly, dragging its feet, its stiff arms rising — **

"**Riddikulus!" cried Parvati. **

**A bandage unraveled at the mummy's feet; it became entangled, fell face forward, and its head rolled off. **

"Not that funny," Lily whispers, trying to calm her husband down.

"**Seamus!" roared Professor Lupin. **

**Seamus darted past Parvati. **

**Crack****! Where the mummy had been was a woman with floorlength black hair and a skeletal, green-tinged face — a banshee.**

"I hate banshees," James whispers, shuddering.

**She opened her mouth wide and an unearthly sound filled the room, a long, wailing shriek that made the hair on Harry's head stand on end — "Riddikulus!" shouted Seamus. **

**The banshee made a rasping noise and clutched her throat; her voice was gone. **

"That's more ironic then funny," Minerva snorts, shaking her head slightly.

**Crack****! The banshee turned into a rat, which chased its tail in a circle, then —****crack****!- became a rattlesnake, which slithered and writhed before —****crack****! — becoming a single, bloody eyeball. **

"**It's confused!" shouted Lupin. "We're getting there! Dean!" **

**Dean hurried forward. **

**Crack****! The eyeball became a severed hand, which flipped over and began to creep along the floor like a crab. **

"Creepy," Someone whispers.

"**Riddikulus!" yelled Dean. **

**There was a snap, and the hand was trapped in a mousetrap. **

"**Excellent! Ron, you next!" **

**Ron leapt forward. **

"Oh, goody, a spider," Someone snorts as Ron turns red.

**Crack****! **

**Quite a few people screamed. A giant spider, six feet tall and covered in hair, was advancing on Ron, clicking its pincers menacingly. For a moment, Harry thought Ron had frozen. Then — **

"**Riddikulus!" bellowed Ron, and the spider's legs vanished; it rolled over and over; Lavender Brown squealed and ran out of its way and it came to a halt at Harry's feet. He raised his wand, ready, but — **

"But what?" James shouts, standing now.

"What does Harry do? How does he react? Let's—"

"JAMES!" Lily shouts, trying not to laugh as her husband blushes and sits back down.

"Continue, Pad."

"**Here!" shouted Professor Lupin suddenly, hurrying forward. ****Crack****! **

"Remus, I'm so not impressed," James mutters as Sirius snorts.

**The legless spider had vanished. For a second, everyone looked wildly around to see where it was. Then they saw a silvery-white orb hanging in the air in front of Lupin, who said, "Riddikulus!" almost lazily. **

"It was rather lazy-like," Remus replies.

**Crack****! **

"**Forward, Neville, and finish him off!" said Lupin as the Boggart landed on the floor as a cockroach. ****Crack****! Snape was back. This time Neville charged forward looking determined. **

"**Riddikulus!" he shouted, and they had a split second's view of Snape in his lacy dress before Neville let out a great "Ha!" of laughter, and the Boggart exploded, burst into a thousand tiny wisps of smoke, and was gone. **

The room remained quiet for a few seconds, until many groups of people started laughing, no longer able to keep it in.

"**Excellent!" cried Professor Lupin as the class broke into applause. "Excellent, Neville. Well done, everyone… Let me see… five points to Gryffindor for every person to tackle the Boggart — ten for Neville because he did it twice… and five each to Hermione and Harry." **

"**But I didn't do anything," said Harry. **

"Awh, son, but you did do something!" James says, looking over to see his son respond, only to look surprised as he notices Harry sleeping.

"Sirius?" Sirius looks down and smiles briefly before shrugging and continuing to read.

"**You and Hermione answered my questions correctly at the start of the class, Harry," Lupin said lightly. "Very well, everyone, an excellent lesson. Homework, kindly read the chapter on Boggarts and summarize it for me… o be handed in on Monday. That will be all." **

**Talking excitedly, the class left the staffroom. Harry, however, wasn't feeling cheerful.**

"Good going, Moon," James snorts as Remus sticks his tongue out at his best friend.

**Professor Lupin had deliberately stopped him from tackling the Boggart. Why? Was it because he'd seen Harry collapse on the train, and thought he wasn't up to much? Had he thought Harry would pass out again? **

"Oh, never!' Remus groans, knowing Harry's sleeping but saying it anyways.

**But no one else seemed to have noticed anything. **

"**Did you see me take that banshee?" shouted Seamus. **

"**And the hand!" said Dean, waving his own around.**

"**And Snape in that hat!"**

"**And my mummy!"**

"**I wonder why Professor Lupin's frightened of crystal balls?" said Lavender thoughtfully.**

James, Lily and Hermione all snort at the exact time while Lavender blushes, realizing what he was really afraid of.

"**That was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson we've ever had, wasn't it?" said Ron excitedly as they made their way back to the classroom to get their bags. **

"Well,"

"It really was"

"You were a wonderful professor"

"Come back already!"

"We don't care!" Many people shout while Remus blushes.

"**He seems like a very good teacher," said Hermione approvingly. "But I wish I could have had a turn with the Boggart —" **

"You weren't the only one, clearly," Ron whispers, looking over at his sleeping best friend.

"**What would it have been for you?" said Ron, sniggering. "A piece of homework that only got nine out of ten?"**

"Oh wow." Ron chuckles while many people look on in confusion. Sirius closes the book and pushes it aside before turning towards his godson and smiling.

"Who wants to read next?" He whispers, his fingers going through his godson's hair. Harry sighs briefly and Sirius tilts his head back, wondering what the next chapter will hold


	47. Chapter 47

**Author's Note 1: **Hey guys! I just want to start this chapter off by apologizing for how long it took me to update! I had been working on Chapter 46 for most of my Christmas Break, having forgotten that, oh hey, I had actually posted it. When I did realize this, I was bummed, and had to re-do all of my work by starting on Chapter 47 instead. However, it was then pushed to the side, as I was put in the hospital to a bad flu and some blood coming up. I'm fine, nothing's wrong with me, but the hospital took a lot out of me, especially since I went from there to school to my work to my house quite constantly. It's also why I haven't responded to reviews and private messages like I normally do. That being said, I've read every single one of them sent, and I promise to reply back to anything sent from now on.

Lastly, I'm going to be going back to my old update style. For those who don't remember, or who weren't around then, it'll be posting 2-3 chapters a time. I'm hoping that this makes updates more frequent. Not only that, but I'm going to try and stick on a cycling cycle, updating each of my stories at least every week to every week and a half (ie: this story this week, going back the following week, etc).

That being said, I hope y'all enjoy this chapter!

* * *

The book floated in the air for a couple of seconds before going towards Neville, who picked it up and shrugged, before he started reading. However, before he could truly start reading, Harry let out a light groan and opened up his eyes, looking right into Sirius'.

"Wha happened?" He murmurs, sitting up a little bit, rubbing his eyes.

"Well, we're currently just starting the eighth chapter." Remus replies and Harry nods his head before he lets it fall onto Sirius' shoulder.

"**CHAPTER EIGHT, Flight of the Fat Lady**" Neville begins, many Gryffindor eyes going wide in remembrance while Sirius grimaces and James looks on in confusion.

**In no time at all, Defense Against the Dark Arts had become most people's favorite class. **

"This does not surprise me. Remus had actually been teaching them stuff," Fillius says, causing Remus to blush as many of the professors agreed.

**Only Draco Malfoy and his gang of Slytherins had anything bad to say about Professor Lupin. **

"This doesn't surprise me, either." Narcissa mutters, glaring at her son.

"**Look at the state of his robes," Malfoy would say in a loud whisper as Professor Lupin passed. "He dresses like our old house elf." **

"OY!" James shouts, offended on Remus for behalf as Remus sighs.

**But no one else cared that Professor Lupin's robes were patched and frayed. His next few lessons were just as interesting as the first. After Boggarts, they studied Red Caps, nasty little goblin-like creatures that lurked wherever there had been bloodshed: in the dungeons of castles and the potholes of deserted battlefields, waiting to bludgeon those who had gotten lost. From Red Caps they moved on to Kappas, creepy. water-dwellers that looked like scaly monkeys, with webbed hands itching to strangle unwitting waders in their ponds. **

"Woah." Lily breathes, pleasantly surprised at her old friends lesson plans.

"Very nice, Remus." James grins, excited.

**Harry only wished he was as happy with some of his other classes. Worst of all was Potions. Snape was in a particularly vindictive mood these days, and no one was in any doubt why. **

"Let me guess, he takes his anger out due to Neville's boggart on the Gryffindors?" James sighs, disgust in his voice.

**The story of the Boggart assuming Snape's shape, and the way that Neville had dressed it in his grandmother's clothes, had traveled through the school like wildfire. Snape didn't seem to find it funny. His eyes flashed menacingly at the very mention of Professor Lupin's name, and he was bullying Neville worse than ever. **

"Now that is not fair!" Lily mutters as Pettigrew nods his head. Seeing this, James looks towards his old friend and snarls, causing many people to look confused and Harry to glare, even though he's still not completely awake.

**Harry was also growing to dread the hours he spent in Professor Trelawney's stifling tower room, deciphering lopsided shapes and symbols, trying to ignore the way Professor Trelawney's enormous eyes filled with tears every time she looked at him.**

James snorted at this, shaking his head. "Why don't you just fire the old coot?" He mutters, his fingers running through his hair as Harry laughs. James smiles at this, wishing he could just hold his son.

**He couldn't like Professor Trelawney, even though she was treated with respect bordering on reverence by many of the class. **

"What? Why?" Lily questioned, her mouth open in surprised while Hermione shrugged.

"Beats me."

**Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown had taken to haunting Professor Trelawney's tower room at lunch times, and always returned with annoyingly superior looks on their faces, as though they knew things the others didn't. They had also started using hushed voices whenever they spoke to Harry, as though he were on his deathbed. **

"Because he totally is!" James snorts.

"We thought he could be! I mean, previous years he was rather close." Lavender replies, shrugging.

**Nobody really liked Care of Magical Creatures, which, after the action-packed first class, had become extremely dull. Hagrid seemed to have lost his confidence. **

"That must've sucked," James groans, wishing with everything he could that Hagrid had kept his confidence.

"Damn Malfoy,"

**They were now spending lesson after lesson learning how to look after flobberworms, which had to be some of the most boring creatures in existence. **

"Ugh, anything but flobberworms."

"**Why would anyone **_**bother **_**looking after them?" said Ron, after yet another hour of poking shredded lettuce down the flobberworms' throats. **

"And, he has a point." Remus mutters.

**At the start of October, however, Harry had something else to occupy him, something so enjoyable it more than made up for his unsatisfactory classes. **

"Quidditch?" James whispers, moving closer out of his seat in excitement.

**The Quidditch season was approaching, and O1iver Wood, Captain of the Gryffindor team, called a meeting on Thursday evening to discuss tactics for the new season. **

"Like a good captain, Oli-ver is there!" James sing songs while many muggle borns snort and laugh, causing James to frown suddenly.

"What?"

"Like a good neighbour, statefarm is there." Lily whispers in the same song, causing James to blush.

**There were seven people on a Quidditch team: three Chasers, whose job it was to score goals by putting the Quaffle (a red, soccer-sized ball) through one of the fifty-foot-high hoops at each end of the field; two Beaters, who were equipped with heavy bats to repel the Bludgers (two heavy black balls that zoomed around trying to attack the players); a Keeper, who defended the goal posts, and the Seeker, who had the hardest job of all, that of catching the Golden Snitch, a tiny, winged, walnut-sized ball, whose capture ended the game and earned the Seeker's team an extra one hundred and fifty points.  
**

"You know,"

"We know all of this,"

"But damn did we just,"

"Realize how important,"

"Potter actually is." The twins stated, smirking.

**Oliver Wood was a burly seventeen-year-old, now in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts. **

"Those truly are the worst years for Quidditch captains." Someone mumbles, causing a quiet agreeance to occur.

**There was a quiet sort of desperation in his voice as he addressed his six fellow team members in the chilly locker rooms on the edge of the darkening Quidditch field. **

"That's never good," James whispers, moving forward in his seat.

"**This is our last chance —**_**my **_**last chance — to win the Quidditch Cup," he told them, striding up and down in front of them. "I'll be leaving at the end of this year. I'll never get another shot at it. **

The twins snorted at this line, causing James to look at them with confusion.

"**Gryffindor hasn't won for seven years now."**

Many of the Gryffindor's flinched in remembrance of their losses, both present and past ones.

"**Okay, so we've had the worst luck in the world — injuries — then the tournament getting called off last year." Wood swallowed, as though the memory still brought a lump to his throat. "But we also know we've got the **_**best — ruddy — team — in — the — school**_**," he said, punching a fist into his other hand, the old manic glint back in his eye. "We've got three **_**superb **_**Chasers." **

As remembering the speech itself, Spinner, Johnson and Bell grinned, pride swelling in their chests.

**Wood pointed at Alicia Spinner, Angelina Johnson, and Katie Bell. **

"**We've got two **_**unbeatable **_**Beaters." **

Fred and George started whooping and hollering, causing many of the adults to laugh.

"**Stop it, Oliver, you're embarrassing us," said Fred and George Weasley together, pretending to blush. **

"**And we've got a Seeker who has **_**never failed to win us a match**_**!" Wood rumbled, glaring at Harry with a kind of furious pride. **

Harry blushed lightly, continuing to slowly wake up.

"He's right you know, kiddo." Sirius whispers as Hermione and Ron nod.

"You're a ruddy damn good seeker, Harry." Ron mumbles.

"**And me," he added as an afterthought. **

"**We think you're very good too, Oliver," said George. **

"**Spanking good Keeper," said Fred. **

"**The point is," Wood went on, resuming his pacing, "the Quidditch Cup should have had our name on it these last two years. Ever since Harry joined the team, I've thought the thing was in the bag. But we haven't got it, and this year's the last chance we'll get to finally see our name on the thing…" **

"Jeeze, put some more pressure on my son," Lily snorts, trying not to smile.

**Wood spoke so dejectedly that even Fred and George looked sympathetic. **

"**Oliver, this year's our year," said Fred. **

"**We'll do it, Oliver!" said Angelina. **

"**Definitely," said Harry. **

"No way were we bloody losing," Harry mumbles, more and more awake.**  
**

**Full of determination, the team started training sessions, three evenings a week. **

James whistles at this, thinking about the dedication that takes, as an old captain himself.

**The weather was getting colder and wetter, the nights darker, but no amount of mud, wind, or rain could tarnish Harry's wonderful vision of finally winning the huge, silver Quidditch Cup. **

James harrumphs at that, pride in his eyes.

**Harry returned to the Gryffindor common room one evening after training, cold and stiff but pleased with the way practice had gone, to find the room buzzing excitedly. **

"Ooh, what's going on?"

"**What's happened?", he asked Ron and Hermione, who were sitting in two of the best chairs by the fireside and completing some star charts for Astronomy. **

"**First Hogsmeade weekend," said Ron, pointing at a notice that had appeared on the battered old bulletin board. "End of October. Halloween."**

"Oh." Lily whispers, her eyes sad. James frowns at the mention of Hogsmeade, remembering the beginning of the books and biting his lower lip in pain over how his son will probably feel.

"**Excellent," said Fred, who had followed Harry through the portrait hole. "I need to visit Zonko's. I'm nearly out of Stink Pellets." **

**Harry threw himself into a chair beside Ron, his high spirits ebbing away. Hermione seemed to read his mind. **

"Does she do that often?" Pomona whispers while many people laugh and Hermione blushes.

"**Harry, I'm sure you'll be able to go next time," she said. "They're bound to catch Black soon. He's been sighted once already." **

"Oh." Sirius interrupts, his eyes wide as Ron snorts and Hermione laughs and Harry smirks.

"What?" James questions, not liking the feeling of being so out of the loop.

"I'm positive you'll find out soon."

"**Black's not fool enough to try anything in Hogsmeade," said Ron. "Ask McGonagall if you can go this time, Harry. The next one might not be for ages —" **

"_**Ron**_**!" said Hermione. "Harry's supposed to stay in **_**school **_**—" **

"**He can't be the only third year left behind," said Ron. "Ask McGonagall, go on, Harry —" **

"**Yeah, I think I will," said Harry, making up his mind. **

"Oh, that's brave, son." Lily laughs.

**Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but at that moment Crookshanks leapt lightly onto her lap. A large, dead spider was dangling from his mouth. **

"Oh, ew." Ron mutters, shuddering.

"**Does he have to eat that in front of us?" said Ron, scowling. **

"**Clever Crookshanks, did you catch that all by yourself?" said Hermione. **

Many people snorted when Crookshanks himself lapped up on Hermione' lap, purring.

**Crookshanks slowly chewed up the spider, his yellow eyes fixed insolently on Ron. **

"Okay, that's kind of creepy." Charlie laughs, wondering about that as Bill nods his head and the other Weasley's laugh.

"**Just keep him over there, that's all," said Ron irritably, turning back to his star chart. "I've got Scabbers asleep in my bag." **

"That actually makes more sense now," Hermione mutters at the same time that Peter whispers how he hated that damn cat.

**Harry yawned. He really wanted to go to bed, but he still had his own star chart to complete. He pulled his bag toward him, took out parchment, ink, and quill, and started work. **

"**You can copy mine, if you like," said Ron, labeling his last star with a flourish and shoving the chart toward Harry. **

"Harry James Sirius Potter, you better not!" Lily scowls, causing Harry to sink back down into the couch as James and Sirius snort.

**Hermione, who disapproved of copying, pursed her lips but didn't say anything. **

"Well, at least Hermione has some knowledge of that." James snorts while Lily scowls and slaps his head as a joke.

**Crookshanks was still staring unblinkingly at Ron, flicking the end of his bushy tail. Then, without warning, he pounced. **

"What's he do now?" Bill snorts.

"**OY!" Ron roared, seizing his bag as Crookshanks sank four sets of claws deep inside it and began tearing ferociously. "GET OFF, YOU STUPID ANIMAL!" **

"Trust me mate, that animal was not stupid." Peter shudders, causing many people around Harry to snarl in aggravation as Peter crawls into himself.

**Ron tried to pull the bag away from Crookshanks, but Crookshanks clung on, spitting and slashing. **

"**Ron, don't hurt him!" squealed Hermione; the whole common room was watching; Ron whirled the bag around, Crookshanks still clinging to it, and Scabbers came flying out of the top — **

"**CATCH THAT CAT!" Ron yelled as Crookshanks freed himself from the remnants of the bag, sprang over the table, and chased after the terrified Scabbers. **

"He deserved it." Harry mutters, rolling his eyes and sighing.

**George Weasley made a lunge for Crookshanks but missed; Scabbers streaked through twenty pairs of legs and shot beneath an old chest of drawers. Crookshanks skidded to a halt, crouched low on his bandy legs, and started making furious swipes beneath it with his front paw. **

"Too bad it didn't get the damn rat," Hermione mutters, glaring at the thought of all the troubles that were caused because of it.

**Ron and Hermione hurried over; Hermione grabbed Crookshanks around the middle and heaved him away; Ron threw himself onto his stomach and, with great difficulty, pulled Scabbers out by the tail. **

"**Look at him!" he said furiously to Hermione, dangling Scabbers in front of her. "He's skin and bone! You keep that cat away from him!" **

"Yeah, not for the reason's we thought." Ron states.

"**Crookshanks doesn't understand it's wrong!" said Hermione, her voice shaking. "All cats chase rats, Ron!" **

"That is true," Lily nods her head in sympathy.

"**There's something funny about that animal!" said Ron, who was trying to persuade a frantically wiggling Scabbers back into his pocket. "It heard me say that Scabbers was in my bag!" **

"With normal cats, I'd say that's rubbish. But Crookshanks looks like a Kneazle, so it might not be with him." James says, shrugging.

"**Oh, what rubbish," said Hermione impatiently. "Crookshanks could **_**smell **_**him, Ron, how else d'you think —" **

"Also a good hypothesis," Minerva says.

"**That cat's got it in for Scabbers!" said Ron, ignoring the people around him, who were starting to giggle. "And Scabbers was here first, **_**and **_**he's ill!" **

"Wow, Ron." Ginny mutters, shaking her head as Ron blushes.

**Ron marched through the common room and out of sight up the stairs to the boys' dormitories. Ron was still in a bad mood with Hermione next day. He barely talked to her all through Herbology, even though he, Harry, and Hermione were working together on the same Puffapod. **

"A little immature, mate."

"I was thirteen!" Ron huffs, crossing his arms.

"**How's Scabbers?" Hermione asked timidly as they stripped fat pink pods from the plants and emptied the shining beans into a wooden pail. **

"**He's hiding at the bottom of my bed, shaking," said Ron angrily, missing the pail and scattering beans over the greenhouse floor. **

"**Careful, Weasley, careful!" cried Professor Sprout as the beans burst into bloom before their very eyes. **

Sprout snorted, remembering that lesson very well.

"And I always thought they'd be the ones to get together." She mutters.

**They had Transfiguration next. Harry, who had resolved to ask Professor McGonagall after the lesson whether he could go into Hogsmeade with the rest, joined the line outside the class trying to decide how he was going to argue his case. He was distracted, however, by a disturbance at the front of the line. **

**Lavender Brown seemed to be crying. Parvati had her arm around her and was explaining something to Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who were looking very serious. **

"Did your rabbit die or something?"

"**What's the matter, Lavender?" said Hermione anxiously as she, Harry, and Ron went to join the group. **

"**She got a letter from home this morning," Parvati whispered. "It's her rabbit, Binky. He's been killed by a fox." **

"Wow. You're psychic." Someone whispers.

"**Oh," said Hermione, "I'm sorry, Lavender." **

"Is it weird that her sorry didn't sound so sorry?" James whispers loudly, causing Hermione to blush even more and Harry to laugh.

"**I should have known!" said Lavender tragically.**

"You couldn't have known, though!"

"**You know what day it is?" **

"**Er —"**

"**The sixteenth of October! 'That thing you're dreading, it will happen on the sixteenth of October!' Remember? She was right, she was right!" **

"Or she really just manipulated you into picking a day and mentioning it," Lily snorts, shaking her head.

**The whole class was gathered around Lavender now. Seamus shook his head seriously. Hermione hesitated; then she said, "You — you were dreading Binky being killed by a fox?" **

"Hermione, I love you like a daughter I do, but you must stop that thought!" James groans, his head in his hands.

"**Well, not necessarily by a **_**fox**_**," said Lavender, looking up at Hermione with streaming eyes, "but I was **_**obviously **_**dreading him dying, wasn't I?" **

"**Oh," said Hermione. She paused again. Then — **

"**Was Binky an **_**old **_**rabbit?" **

"Hermione," James continues to groan.

"**N — no!" sobbed Lavender. "H — he was only a baby!" Parvati tightened her arm around Lavender's shoulders. **

"**But then, why would you dread him dying?" said Hermione. **

"Logical question." Lily shrugs.

**Parvati glared at her. **

"**Well, look at it logically," said Hermione, turning to the rest of the group. "I mean, Binky didn't even die today, did he? Lavender just got the news today —" Lavender wailed loudly. "– and she **_**can't **_**have been dreading it, because it's come as a real shock —" **

"Is it rude to say she actually has a point?" Lee whispers fearfully, while the twins snort in amusement, agreeing with their best friend.

"**Don't mind Hermione, Lavender," said Ron loudly, "she doesn't think other people's pets matter very much." **

"I care about pets!" Hermione grumbles, crossing her arms and slumping down into the couch she shares with Harry and Sirius.

**Professor McGonagall opened the classroom door at that moment, which was perhaps lucky; Hermione and Ron were looking daggers at each other, and when they got into class, they seated themselves on either side of Harry and didn't talk to each other for the whole class. **

"They always put me in the middle. It's bloody insufferable." Harry glowers towards the two, who flinch slightly at the glare before looking apologetic.

**Harry still hadn't decided what he was going to say to Professor McGonagall when the bell rang at the end of the lesson, but it was she who brought up the subject of Hogsmeade first. **

"**One moment, please!" she called as the class made to leave. "As you're all in my House, you should hand Hogsmeade permission forms to me before Halloween. No form, no visiting the village, so don't forget!" **

"Jeeze, what a way to be reminded about what was coming." James mutters.

"Yeah, my doom." Harry snorts as Hermione shakes her head.

"Dramatic much, pup?" Sirius laughs, beating Hermione to the punch.

**Neville put up his hand. **

"**Please, Professor, I — I think I've lost —" **

"**Your grandmother sent yours to me directly, Longbottom," said Professor McGonagall. "She seemed to think it was safer. Well, that's all, you may leave." **

"Sounds kind of like Alice." Lily whispers sadly.

"**Ask her now," Ron hissed at Harry. **

"You know, that's kind of reminiscent of you asking out Hermione." Ron snorts, shaking his head as Harry blushes and Hermione smirks.

"Seems like a funny story." Remus replies.

"Kind of." Hermione laughs.

"**Oh. but —" Hermione began. **

"**Go for it, Harry," said Ron stubbornly. **

**Harry waited for the rest of the class to disappear, then headed nervously for Professor McGonagall's desk.**

"This isn't turning out good, is it?" Lily sighs, sad at her son's circumstances.

"**Yes, Potter?" Harry took a deep breath. **

"**Professor, my aunt and uncle — er — forgot to sign my form," he said. **

**Professor McGonagall looked over her square spectacles at him but didn't say anything. **

"I hate when she does that," Ron mumbles while Harry nods his head, now fully awake.

"**So — er — d'you think it would be all right mean, will It be okay if I — if I go to Hogsmeade?" **

**Professor McGonagall looked down and began shuffling papers on her desk. **

"**I'm afraid not, Potter," she said. "You heard what I said. No form, no visiting the village. That's the rule." **

"**But — Professor, my aunt and uncle — you know, they're Muggles, they don't really understand about — about Hogwarts forms and stuff," Harry said, while Ron egged him on with vigorous nods. "If you said I could go —" **

"**But I don't say so," said Professor McGonagall, standing up and piling her papers neatly into a drawer. "The form clearly states that the parent or guardian must give permission." She turned to look at him, with an odd expression on her face. **

"It was when I mentioned the parent/guardian part that I remembered what the Dursley's were like when I visited them." McGonagall mutters, wishing she had kept Potter from going to those awful muggles.

**Was it pity?**

"I-" Minerva begins, before cringing slightly.

"**I'm sorry, Potter, but that's my final word. You had better hurry, or you'll be late for your next lesson." **

"Well, what a bummer." James sighs, slouching in his seat.

**There was nothing to be done. Ron called Professor McGonagall a lot of names that greatly annoyed Hermione;**

Ron blushed at this as McGonagall turned her head sharply towards Ron, making everyone laugh at that sentence.

**Hermione assumed an 'all-for-the-best' expression that made Ron even angrier, and Harry had to endure everyone in the class talking loudly and happily about what they were going to do first, once they got into Hogsmeade. **

"Jealousy is not a good look on you, Potter." Krum mutters as Harry snorts in return, rolling his eyes.

"**There's always the feast," said Ron, in an effort to cheer Harry up. "You know, the Halloween feast, in the evening." **

"**Yeah," said Harry gloomily, "great." **

"Sorry, mate." Ron mutters as Harry shrugs in return.

**The Halloween feast was always good, but it would taste a lot better if he was coming to it after a day in Hogsmeade with everyone else.**

"And, you know, because I don't actually like celebrating it." Harry mutters, sitting up properly in annoyance, wondering why it never tells the reader that.

**Nothing anyone said made him feel any better about being left behind. **

"Yeah, I can somehow imagine that," Malfoy mutters, his eyes wide before he shakes himself and glares lightly.

**Dean Thomas, who was good with a quill, had offered to forge Uncle Vernon's signature on the form, but as Harry had already told Professor McGonagall he hadn't had it signed, that was no good. **

"Too right it was no good," McGonagall huffs, crossing her arms in annoyance.

**Ron halfheartedly suggested the Invisibility Cloak, but Hermione stamped on that one, reminding Ron what Dumbledore had told them about the Dementors being able to see through them.**

"Not like it mattered anyways," Harry snorts as Fred and George smirk and high-five.

**Percy had what were possibly the least helpful words of comfort. **

"Well, duh." Ginny snorts, shaking her head.

"**They make a fuss about Hogsmeade, but I assure you, Harry, it's not all it's cracked up to be," he said seriously.**

"You're kidding, right?" The twins and James all ask at once as Percy blushes and looks at his feet, before sighing in aggravation.

"Not. At. All" He seethes.

"**All right, the sweetshop's rather good, and Zonko's Joke Shop's frankly dangerous, and yes, the Shrieking Shack's always worth a visit, but really, Harry, apart from that, you're not missing anything." **

Many people snorted at this phrase, Harry included, shaking heads in retaliation.

"Not missing anything my ass." Harry mutters, rolling his eyes.

**On Halloween morning, Harry awoke with the rest and went down to breakfast, feeling thoroughly depressed, though doing his best to act normally. **

"Well then." Hermione mutters, side-eyeing Harry at his charade, whilst he just shrugs and smiles slightly.

"**We'll bring you lots of sweets back from Honeydukes," said Hermione, looking desperately sorry for him. **

Hermione cringed at that sentence, rubbing her thumb along Harry's wrist in comfort.

"**Yeah, loads," said Ron. He and Hermione had finally forgotten their squabble about Crookshanks in the face of Harry's difficulties. **

A few people snorted at this line, shaking their heads.

"**Don't worry about me," said Harry, in what he hoped was at, offhand voice, "I'll see you at the feast. Have a good time." **

"Yeah, it wasn't that offhand, Harry." Ron says, grimacing.

**He accompanied them to the entrance hall, where Filch, the caretaker, was standing inside the front doors, checking off names against a long list, peering suspiciously into every face, and making sure that no one was sneaking out who shouldn't be going. **

James snorted at this sentence, shaking his head, as Lily laughs. "Oh James, how you and Sirius and Remus have set the standard for these books" She snorts.

"**Staying here, Potter?" shouted Malfoy, who was standing in line with Crabbe and Goyle. "Scared of passing the Dementors?"**

Sirius growled lightly at this. "You wouldn't last one millisecond with a herd of dementors, Malfoy." He spits, his eyes in slits as James wonders how bad Azkaban messed his best friend up.

**Harry ignored him and made his solitary way up the marble staircase, through the deserted corridors, and back to Gryffindor Tower. **

"**Password?" said the Fat Lady, jerking out of a doze. **

"**Fortuna Major," said Harry listlessly. **

"That's never a good sign with a Potter." Lily mumbles, sighing as Hermione nods her head, understanding perfectly.

**The portrait swung open and he climbed through the hole into the common room. It was full of chattering first-and second-years, and a few older students, who had obviously visited Hogsmeade so often the novelty had worn off. **

"But it never wears off." Sirius whispers, eyes wide as James grins at his best friend.

"**Harry! Harry! Hi, Harry!" **

"Not now, kid." James sighs, putting his head in his hands.

**It was Colin Creevey, a second year who was deeply in awe of Harry and never missed an opportunity to speak to him. **

"Colin, I hope you've stopped this by now" Lily smiles, tilting her head a little bit.

"**Aren't you going to Hogsmeade, Harry? Why not? Hey —" Colin looked eagerly around at his friends — "you can come and sit with us, if you like, Harry!" **

"I think he just wants to mope, kid." Someone says.

"**Er — no, thanks, Colin," said Harry, who wasn't in the mood to have a lot of people staring avidly at the scar on his forehead. "I — I've got to go to the library, got to get some work done." **

**After that, he had no choice but to turn right around and head back out of the portrait hole again. **

"**What was the point of waking me up?" the Fat Lady called grumpily after him as he walked away. **

"It's kind of your job?" Someone mutters, bitter.

**Harry wandered dispiritedly toward the library, but halfway there he changed his mind; he didn't feel like working. He turned around and came face-to-face with Filch, who had obviously just seen off the last of the Hogsmeade visitors. **

"**What are you doing?" Filch snarled suspiciously. **

"**Nothing," said Harry truthfully. **

"**Nothing!" spat Filch, his jowls quivering unpleasantly. "A likely story! Sneaking around on your own — why aren't you in Hogsmeade buying Stink Pellets and Belch Powder and Whizzing Worms like the rest of your nasty little friends?" **

**Harry shrugged. **

"Yes, do try not to be so nonchalant next time, will ya son?" James laughs, knowing what's going to happen.

"**Well, get back to your common room where you belong!" snapped Filch, and he stood glaring until Harry had passed out of sight. **

**But Harry didn't go back to the common room; he climbed a staircase, thinking vaguely of visiting the Owlery to see Hedwig, and was walking along another corridor when a voice from inside one of the rooms said, "Harry?" **

**Harry doubled back to see who had spoken and met Professor Lupin, looking around his office door. **

"What are the odds?"

"**What are you doing?" said Lupin, though in a very different voice from Filch. "Where are Ron and Hermione?" **

"**Hogsmeade," said Harry, in a would-be casual voice. **

"Wasn't that good of one, really." Remus interrupts, smiling at Harry, who only shrugs.

"**Ah," said Lupin. He considered Harry for a moment. "Why don't you come in? I've just taken delivery of a Grindylow for our next lesson." **

"Dude, no. No way." James laughs, clapping his hands in excitement. "No wonder people want you back, Moon."

"**A what?" said Harry. **

**He followed Lupin into his office. In the corner stood a very large tank of water. A sickly green creature with sharp little horns had its face pressed against the glass, pulling faces and flexing its long, spindly fingers. **

"Harry, is that not some kind of foreshadowing?" Hermione whispers as Harry tilts his head, reminiscent to Lily, and shrugs, remaining very quiet, causing Sirius to look over in concern.

"**Water demon," said Lupin, surveying the Grindylow thoughtfully. "We shouldn't have much difficulty with him, not after the Kappas. The trick is to break his grip. You notice the abnormally long fingers? Strong, but very brittle." **

**The Grindylow bared its green teeth and then buried itself in a tangle of weeds in a corner. **

"Yeah, they do that quite often."

"**Cup of tea?" Lupin said, looking around for his kettle. "I was just thinking of making one." **

"Remus, since when did you begin drinking tea?" Lily questions, not knowing how much has truly changed since her death.

"**All right," said Harry awkwardly. **

"No need to be awkward, son." James snorts, wishing he could've grown up with his son.

**Lupin tapped the kettle with his wand and a blast of steam issued suddenly from the spout. **

"**Sit down," said Lupin, taking the lid off a dusty tin. "I've only got teabags, I'm afraid — but I daresay you've had enough of tea leaves?" Harry looked at him. Lupin's eyes were twinkling. **

"How does he know that?"

"Who cares, he's awesome?"

"What is he, Dumbledore now?"

"Nah, he's better than Dumblewart," the conversation around Harry thrived, making many people laugh and giggle at what they were hearing. Remus, who couldn't believe so many people liked him, sat comfortably on the couch, surprise written all over his face.

"**How did you know about that?" Harry asked. **

"A fine question," Someone mutters.

"**Professor McGonagall told me," said Lupin, passing Harry a chipped mug of tea. "You're not worried, are you?" **

"Can I just say how weird it was to be talking to a former professor of mine?" Remus interrupts, shuddering slightly as Sirius and James laugh, thankful for not needing to know how that felt.

"**No," said Harry. **

**He thought for a moment of telling Lupin about the dog he'd seen in Magnolia Crescent but decided not to. **

"Thank Merlin for that," Sirius mutters under his breath as Harry laughs.

**He didn't want Lupin to think he was a coward, especially since Lupin already seemed to think he couldn't cope with a Boggart. **

"Not what I thought, kiddo." Remus sighs, grimacing slightly as Harry shrugs.

**Something of Harry's thoughts seemed to have shown on his face, because Lupin said, **

"**Anything worrying you, Harry?" **

"You're an easy person to read, kiddo." Sirius snorts as James laughs and nods his head.

"**No," Harry lied. He drank a bit of tea and watched the Grindylow brandishing a fist at him. "Yes," he said suddenly, putting his tea down on Lupin's desk. "You know that day we fought the Boggart?" **

"Well, that was a sudden change of thought," Someone snorts.

"**Yes," said Lupin slowly. **

"**Why didn't you let me fight it?" said Harry abruptly. **

**Lupin raised his eyebrows. **

"I hadn't thought it had mattered," Remus whispers, shrugging.

"**I would have thought that was obvious, Harry," he said, sounding surprised. **

"Clearly, that too." James snorts.

**Harry, who had expected Lupin to deny that he'd done any such thing, was taken aback. **

"**Why?" he said again. **

"**Well," said Lupin, frowning slightly, "I assumed that if the Boggart faced you, it would **

**assume the shape of Lord Voldemort." **

"A good assumption," Albus interrupts.

**Harry stared. Not only was this the last answer he'd expected, but Lupin had said Voldemort's name. The only person Harry had ever heard say the name aloud (apart from himself) was Professor Dumbledore. **

"I'm not afraid to say the name of a coward," Remus snarls as Pettigrew clenches his fist. People around him noticed this, and arched their eyebrows in confusion.

"**Clearly, I was wrong," said Lupin, still frowning at Harry. "But I didn't think it a good idea for Lord Voldemort to materialize in the staffroom. I imagined that people would panic." **

"**I didn't think of Voldemort," said Harry honestly. "I — I remembered those Dementors." **

"**I see," said Lupin thoughtfully. "Well, well… I'm impressed." He smiled slightly at the look of surprise on Harry's face. "That suggests that what you fear most of all is — fear. Very wise, Harry." **

"Aha! Remy agrees with me!' James shouts, doing a dance in his seat as Lily rolls her eyes and giggles a little.

**Harry didn't know what to say to that, so he drank some more tea. **

"That's a nice thing to do."

"Indeed."

"**So you've been thinking that I didn't believe you capable of fighting the Boggart?" said Lupin shrewdly. **

"**Well… yeah," said Harry. He was suddenly feeling a lot happier. "Professor Lupin, you know the Dementors —" **

**He was interrupted by a knock on the door. **

"What? Why? Who's coming in?" James mutters, annoyed that the story was interrupted.

"**Come in," called Lupin. **

"Is it someone fun?" Lily asks, shrugging slightly.

**The door opened, and in came Snape. **

"Why in the bloody name of Merlin is Snape, Severus Snape of all people, coming into your office?" James questions, his eyes wide.

**He was carrying a goblet, which was smoking faintly, and stopped at the sight of Harry, his black eyes narrowing. **

"Better question, why is carrying a smoking goblet?" Lily whispers, her eyes now also wide as James shrugs.

"**Ah, Severus," said Lupin, smiling. "Thanks very much. Could you leave it here on the desk for me?" **

"An even better question – why is Remus _accepting _the smoking goblet?" James scowls.

**Snape set down the smoking goblet, his eyes wandering between Harry and Lupin. **

"**I was just showing Harry my Grindylow," said Lupin pleasantly, pointing at the tank. **

"**Fascinating," said Snape, without looking at it. "You should drink that directly, Lupin." **

"**Yes, Yes, I will," said Lupin. **

"**I made an entire cauldronful," Snape continued. "If you need more." **

"**I should probably have some again tomorrow. Thanks very much, Severus." **

"Oh, something is **not **right about this," Lily mutters, her hands clenched.

"**Not at all," said Snape, but there was a look in his eye Harry didn't like. He backed out of the room, unsmiling and watchful. **

"What are you thinking, son?" James whispers, edging closer.

**Harry looked curiously at the goblet. Lupin smiled. **

"**Professor Snape has very kindly concocted a potion for me," he said. "I have never been much of a potion-brewer and this one is particularly complex." **

"Uhm. BULLSHIT." James and Lily shout, their eyes especially large as Remus looks down and blushes.

"Remus, you were third in our year when it came to potions!" James nearly screams, as Remus flinches.

"Remus, please stop doubting yourself," Lily mutters, hurting for her friend. Her tone makes him look up and he nods his head slightly.

**He picked up the goblet and sniffed it. "Pity sugar makes it useless," he added, taking a sip and shuddering. **

"What is it?" James whines, stomping his foot in agitation.

"**Why —?" Harry began. Lupin looked at him and answered the unfinished question. **

"**I've been feeling a bit off-color," he said. "This potion is the only thing that helps. I am very lucky to be working alongside Professor Snape; there aren't many wizards who are up to making it." Professor Lupin took another sip and Harry had a crazy urge to knock the goblet out of his hands. **

"Don't we all," Sirius mutters, shuddering slightly, even though he knows what's in the goblet.

"**Professor Snape's very interested in the Dark Arts," he blurted out. **

Many people snorted and laughed at this sentence, shaking their heads at the antics of the young wizard.

"I'm pretty sure he knew that, pup." Sirius snorts, rubbing his forehead and looking down at his feet as Harry blushes.

"**Really?" said Lupin, looking only mildly interested as he took another gulp of potion. **

"Well, I knew he wasn't going to _do _anything to me. No matter how much he may have wanted to," Remus snorts.

"**Some people reckon —" Harry hesitated, then plunged recklessly on, "some people reckon he'd do anything to get the Defense Against the Dark Arts job." **

"I wouldn't murder someone." Snape mutters, making a face as many people snort.

**Lupin drained the goblet and pulled a face. **

"**Disgusting," he said. "Well, Harry, I'd better get back to work. See you at the feast later." **

"**Right," said Harry, putting down his empty teacup. **

**The empty goblet was still smoking. **

"Well, he's still here, so I'm sure everything is fine!' James says, rather unsure himself, causing Remus to snort.

"**There you go," said Ron. "We got as much as we could carry." **

"Oh, is Hogsmeade over?" Lily whispers, getting comfortable on the couch.

**A shower of brilliantly colored sweets fell into Harry's lap. It was dusk, and Ron and Hermione had just turned up in the common room, pink-faced from the cold wind and looking as though they'd had the time of their lives. **

"You sure they weren't pink faced from something else?" Ginny snorts and giggles as Harry and Hermione roll their eyes, wishing that she'd go back to being a little less opinionated about her beliefs on them.

"**Thanks," said Harry, picking up a packet of tiny black Pepper Imps. "What's Hogsmeade like? Where did you go?" **

**By the sound of it — everywhere. Dervish and Banges, the wizarding equipment shop, Zonko's Joke Shop, into the Three Broomsticks for foaming mugs of hot butterbeer, and many places besides. **

"**The post office, Harry! About two hundred owls, all sitting on shelves, all color-coded depending on how fast you want your letter to get there!" **

"That is kind of cool," Some first years whisper, their eyes open wide in awe.

"**Honeydukes has got a new kind of fudge; they were giving out free samples, there's a bit, look —" **

"**We think we saw an ogre, honestly, they get all sorts at the Three Broomsticks —" **

"**Wish we could have brought you some butterbeer, really warms you up —" **

"**What did you do?" said Hermione, looking anxious. "Did you get any work done?" **

"**No," said Harry. "Lupin made me a cup of tea in his office. And then Snape came in…" **

**He told them all about the goblet. Ron's mouth fell open. **

"Well, duh." Someone laughs, making Ron blush.

"_**Lupin drank it**_**?" he gasped. "Is he mad?" **

"Nope, just with a will to live," Remus snorts, shaking his head.

**Hermione checked her watch. **

"**We'd better go down, you know, the feast'll be starting in five minutes." They hurried through the portrait hole and into the crowd, still discussing Snape. **

"**But if he — you know —" Hermione dropped her voice, glancing nervously around, "if he **_**was **_**trying to — to poison Lupin — he wouldn't have done it in front of Harry." **

"A point given to the smart girl once more," James laughs.

"**Yeah, maybe," said Harry as they reached the entrance hall and crossed into the Great Hall. It had been decorated with hundreds and hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats, and many flaming orange streamers, which were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like brilliant watersnakes. **

**The food was delicious; even Hermione and Ron, who were full to bursting with Honeydukes sweets, managed second helpings of everything. Harry kept glancing at the staff table. Professor Lupin looked cheerful and as well as he ever did; he was talking animatedly to tiny little Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher. **

"That was quite the marvelous discussion," Remus remembers, smiling slightly.

**Harry moved his eyes along the table, to the place where Snape sat. Was he imagining it, or were Snape's eyes flickering toward Lupin more often than was natural? **

"I think you're just imagining it, Potter." Snape snarls.

**The feast finished with an entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts. They popped out of the walls and tables to do a bit of formation gliding; Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, had a great success with a reenactment of his own botched beheading. **

**It had been such a pleasant evening that Harry's good mood couldn't even be spoiled by Malfoy, who shouted through the crowd as they all left the hall, "The Dementors send their love, Potter!" **

"Narcissa, please teach your son some manners," Sirius mutters, shaking his head as the Malfoy men snarl at him.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed the rest of the Gryffindors along the usual path to Gryffindor Tower, but when they reached the corridor that ended with the portrait of the Fat Lady, they found it jammed with students. **

"Why isn't anyone going in?" Charlie questioned, as everyone looks on in confusion.

"**Why isn't anyone going in?" said Ron curiously. **

"See, we all wanna know," Bill drawls.

**Harry peered over the heads in front of him. The portrait seemed to be closed. **

"Okay, what's going on?" James whispers.

"**Let me through, please," came Percy's voice, and he came bustling importantly through the crowd. "What's the holdup here? You can't all have forgotten the password — excuse me, I'm Head Boy —" **

"Oh, who gives a rats ass," Lily snorts, shaking her head.

"It's not like it's going to matter when looking for a career," James finishes, shaking his head also.

**And then a silence fell over the crowd, from the front first, so that a chill seemed to spread down the corridor. They heard Percy say, in a suddenly sharp voice, "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick." **

"Oh. This cannot be good," James mutters, grimacing.

**People's heads turned; those at the back were standing on tiptoe. **

"**What's going on?" said Ginny, who had just arrived. **

"Like they know?"

"Like anyone knows?"

"Nope."

**A moment later, Professor Dumbledore was there, sweeping toward the portrait; the Gryffindors squeezed together to let him through, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved closer to see what the trouble was. **

"**Oh, my —" Hermione grabbed Harry's arm. **

"I want to awh and coo, but I'm too worried and nervous to make note of it right now," Lily mutters, crossing her legs.

**The Fat Lady had vanished from her portrait, which had been slashed so viciously that strips of canvas littered the floor; great chunks of it had been torn away completely. **

"Oy, who was mad enough to have done that?" James snorts, shaking his head.

**Dumbledore took one quick look at the ruined painting and turned, his eyes somber, to see Professors McGonagall, Lupin, and Snape hurrying toward him. **

"**We need to find her," said Dumbledore. "Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady." **

"I don't think it'll be that easy." Someone whispers, fear evident in their voice as it shook.

"**You'll be lucky!" said a cackling voice. **

"Peeves?"

**It was Peeves the Poltergeist, bobbing over the crowd and looking delighted, as he always did, at the sight of wreckage or worry. **

"What is going on?" Lily mutters, shaking.

"**What do you mean, Peeves?" said Dumbledore calmly, and Peeves's grin faded a little. He didn't dare taunt Dumbledore. **

"I wish he did," Someone snorts.

**Instead he adopted an oily voice that was no better than his cackle. "Ashamed, Your Headship, sir. Doesn't want to be seen. She's a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between the trees. Crying something dreadful," he said happily. "Poor thing." he added unconvincingly. **

"Peeves can never feel empathy for anything."

"Let's get on with it." James whispers.

"**Did she say who did it?" said Dumbledore quietly. **

"**Oh yes, Professorhead," said Peeves, with the air of one cradling a large bombshell in his arms. "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see." Peeves flipped over and grinned at Dumbledore from between his own legs. "Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."**

Neville stopped reading as James sucked in his breath and looked towards his best friend, who grimaced at the reminder of what he had done back then.

"You didn't actually become mad, did you mate?" James questions his eyes wide as Sirius shrugs.

"Probably a little," Sirius replies, shuddering.

"Who wants to read next?" Harry interrupts, not wanting Sirius to think to the darker times previous. Everyone watches as the book floats over to Lily who smiles lightly.

* * *

**Author's Note 2: **I'm doing another author's note because there are a few things I want to reply to in terms of where this story is going, the bashing, etc. This is going to be quite long, so you don't **have **to read it, but I suggest you do if you've asked questions to me somehow. I realize people aren't happy with the Molly and Ginny bashing. I realize I should have probably warned people a head of time (ie: the first chapter, lol) however, you could've known that there would be bashing just by going on my profile page, as it does say I like bashing those two characters. That being said, things have to get worse in order for them to get better. Obviously, things are indeed slowly getting better for Ginny. She needs to mature before she falls in love with the right guy, y'know ;) As for Molly, well, things are going to get much much worse for her. I never liked her character, and there are many things I always wanted to say to her. This is kind of like my chance. It's not going to be in character, obviously. This is a non-canon variation of the book, and whilst I try my hardest to make things in character, it's not always going to work that way. You guys just have to be patient with me, alright?

Harry/Hermione are **endgame** in this story. It's stated in the very beginning of this chapter, and that is _**not**_going to change. At all. I pride myself on this story being a character reads story that isn't actually canon. I never understood Ron/Hermione and Harry/Ginny, and in a way, I'm proving that through this. Not only that, but well, guys, c'mon. What do you want me to say? I'm not gonna pull a complete 360 on y'all by proclaiming throughout the story that H/Hr are it and then changing it. That's not who I am and that's definitely not how I roll. If you don't like, you don't have to read. I'm not going to get offended.

Some people have raised concern over Harry acting more like a little kid here than he does in the books. And yes, he does. I've always believed that if Harry truly had his life read out to a whole room full of people, with his family there, he'd revert to someone a little younger, if only because he'll actually be able to get that comfort that he never had growing up. I know people don't like it, but it does actually have to do with my plot (which shit, a lot of you guys have actually guessed correctly, aha).

Now, for James and Lily. Yes, they're rude to Molly, Ginny, Snape and Albus. There's reasons for this you guys. Like I said earlier, things have to get much worse in order for them to get better. And right now, the way they see these people interacting with their son, their natural instincts are flaring up. They don't like how Ginny seems to only like Harry for his status (which for me, she does). They don't like how Molly tries to coddle him. They don't like how Snape can't get over his bitterness and they especially don't like how Albus is keeping stuff from their son - especially since it deals with him. Also. There is a reason why James and Lily have been able to read the books, eat food, drink beverages, and hug and touch people other than their families. It's part of my plot. Y'all just have to be patient with me, ok?

As a side note. I'm not going to have Lily like Snape. I never understood it. If Snape truly loved Lily, he would've done better. I just - it's unfathomable to me and it demeans Lily's character to have her be nice to a guy who treats her son like absolute shit because of a teenage feud.

Books 6 and 7. I didn't want to tell y'all this. I actually wanted it to be a surprise, but so many of you have sent me questions asking why not. **YES**, I _will _be doing books 6 and 7. However, the characters themselves don't actually know this, so try and put it out of your mind for now, ok? ;)

I hope y'all enjoyed the chapters. I want to give an especially big thanks to V.L Crawford, for making sure I was alright a little whilst back and to IceBlueRose for leaving me an amazingly long-ass review that I absolutely loved and had me cracking up in my hospital bed! It's the readers who love this story that make me keep going, and I thank you for it! Hope to see an update soon!


	48. Chapter 48

**Author's Note: **I was too excited about finishing this chapter that I decided to post all 9,000 words of it right now before work and stuff. I want to thank everyone who has reviewed and added to favourites and alerts. It has meant a lot to me. I've responded to everyone who has messaged me and reviewed, except for "Guests" as I can't. It's one chapter, but well, I was excited. _Going Back _will hopefully be updated within the week. I hope y'all enjoy!

* * *

"**CHAPTER NINE, Grim Defeat" **Lily began, before sighing slightly and looking towards James, who shrugs in response.

**Professor Dumbledore sent all the Gryffindors back to the Great Hall, where they were joined ten minutes later by the students from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, who all looked extremely confused. **

"Well yeah."

"We had no idea what was going on."

"Or what had happened."

"**The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore told them as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick closed all doors into the hall. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," he added to Percy, who was looking immensely proud and important. **

"This does not surprise me." Bill whispers slightly, feeling upset over his younger brother's choices with things in his life. He notices Harry's parents nodding and lets out a small smile.

"**Send word with one of the ghosts." **

"The ghosts do like to relay important messages," Arthur whispers whilst nodding his head a little bit.

**Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the hall, and said, "Oh, yes, you'll be needing…" **

**One casual wave of his wand and the long tables flew to the edges of the hall and stood themselves against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags. **

"Oooh, a school-wide sleepover" Lily laughs, a small smile lighting up her face. Snape smiles in return as he looks at Lily before glaring when he notices Potter smirking at him.

"**Sleep well," said Professor Dumbledore, closing the door behind him. **

Many people snort at this simple sentence, shaking their heads.

"Like a whole bunch of curious students would sleep well," Pomona smirks.

**The hall immediately began to buzz excitedly;**

"See?" Pomona snorts, shaking her head.

**- the Gryffindors were telling the rest of the school what had just happened. **

"Because nothing is ever a secret at this school," Someone else snorts while Harry grins.

"I don't know about that," Harry replies, rolling his eyes as the previous person blushes.

"**Everyone into their sleeping bags!" shouted Percy. "Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!" **

"**C'mon," Ron said to Harry and Hermione; they seized three sleeping bags and dragged them into a corner. **

"Smart thinking. Nothing can come at you from behind." Moody snaps, making people around him jump in surprise.

"**Do you think Black's still in the castle?" Hermione whispered anxiously. **

"I wasn't." Sirius interrupts, shrugging before he continues, "I knew once word got out I'd have to haul ass and get out."

"**Dumbledore obviously thinks he might be," said Ron. **

"So for once, Dumbledweeb was wrong?" Fred whispers while Harry smirks.

"Maybe not 'for once'" He replies.

"**It's very lucky he picked tonight, you know," said Hermione as they climbed fully dressed into their sleeping bags and propped themselves on their elbows to talk. **

"Why was that?" Sirius and James ask at the same time, before grinning at one another.

"**The one night we weren't in the tower…" **

"I kind of wanted it that way." Sirius says before muttering, "But I was getting desperate," causing Harry to look over at him.

"**I reckon he's lost track of time, being on the run," said Ron. "Didn't realize it was Halloween. Otherwise he'd have come bursting in here." **

"I knew the day, thanks." Sirius snorts, looking down at his feet briefly, feeling a pain in his heart.

**Hermione shuddered. **

"Why?" Someone whispers.

**All around them, people were asking one another the same question: "**_**How did he get in**_**?" **

"How _did_ you get in?" Ron whispers while Molly and Ginny nod their heads and Sirius smirks.

"A special map." He says in a whisper, winking at Harry who laughs.

"**Maybe he knows how to Apparate," said a Ravenclaw a few feet away, "Just appear out of thin air, you know." **

"You can't apparated inside the grounds, though." Lily mutters.

"**Disguised himself, probably," said a Hufflepuff fifth year. **

"Nooo,"

"**He could've flown in," suggested Dean Thomas. **

"Honestly, doesn't anyone read _Hogwarts, A History_?" Lily groans, shaking her head before she reads the next line and laughs.

"**Honestly, am I the **_**only **_**person who's ever bothered to read **_**Hogwarts, A History**_**?" said Hermione crossly to Harry and Ron. **

The room laughed at this before Hermione smiled, now used to being a lot like Harry's mom, and proud of it.

"**Probably," said Ron. "Why?" **

"Poor boy." James grimaces, remembering the rants his wife used to go into about the book. "Harry, when you marry Hermione, burn every copy of that book. And then get rid of every memory Hermione has of it so she can't ra—"

"James!" Lily laughs, rolling her eyes and slapping her husband's shoulder causing Snape to glare as Harry and Hermione blush.

"**Because the castle's protected by more than walls, you know," said Hermione. "There are all sorts of enchantments on it, to stop people entering by stealth. You can't just Apparate in here. And I'd like to see the disguise that could fool those Dementors. They're guarding every single entrance to the grounds. They'd have seen him fly in too. And Filch knows all the secret passages, they'll have them covered…" **

"HE DOES NOT." James interrupts, causing Lily to flinch and jump in surprise.

"TELL ME HE DOESN'T." James continues.

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK YOU TELL ME THIS INSTANT THAT THAT SQUIB DOESN'T KNOW ALL THE PASSAGES, ALL OF OUR BEAUTIFUL PASSAGES. REMUS JOHN LUPIN, YOU TELL ME THIS INSTA-"

"JAMES, STOP" Lily shouts, silencing him with her wand as he continues to scream and rant quietly. Many people take a breath a relief, except for Harry, who is too busy laughing and Sirius, who is also laughing.

"What?" Lily asks before continuing to read.

"**The lights are going out now!" Percy shouted. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!" **

"Like anyone is going to listen to you?" Remus snorts.

**The candles all went out at once. The only light now came from the silvery ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scattered with stars.**

"Oh that must've been beautiful." Someone younger whispers, awe in her voice.

**What with that, and the whispering that still filled the hall, Harry felt as though he were sleeping outdoors in a light wind. **

"I could imagine that," James whispers, his wife finally un-silencing him.

**Once every hour, a teacher would reappear in the Hall to check that everything was quiet. Around three in the morning, when many students had finally fallen asleep, Professor Dumbledore came in.**

"How on Merlin's beard did you know the time, pup?" Sirius interrupts, arching his eyebrow as Harry shrugs in response, not knowing himself.

"What's with time being mentioned in the books?" James replies afterwards.

**Harry watched him looking around for Percy, who had been prowling between the sleeping bags, telling people off for talking. **

"Oh, as if," Someone mutters, rolling their eyes.

**Percy was only a short way away from Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who quickly pretended to be asleep as Dumbledore's footsteps drew nearer. **

"Smart move, Potter." Minerva replies, glaring slightly at the three students, who flinch back at her gaze.

"**Any sign of him, Professor?" asked Percy in a whisper. **

"**No. All well here?" **

"**Everything under control, sir." **

"**Good. There's no point moving them all now. I've found a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole. You'll be able to move them back in tomorrow."**

"Ooh, who is it?" James interrupts.

"**And the Fat Lady, sir?" **

"Can't believe you scared her, mate." Remus snorts.

"**Hiding in a map of Argyllshire on the second floor. Apparently she refused to let Black in without the password, so he attacked. She's still very distressed, but once she's calmed down, I'll have Mr. Filch restore her." **

"What's so important to you right now, Sirius?" James sighs, shaking his head, still unclear over what happened.

**Harry heard the door of the hall creak open again, and more footsteps. **

"You need to stop eavesdropping," Someone snorts as Harry sticks his tongue out.

"**Headmaster?" It was Snape. Harry kept quite still, listening hard. "The whole of the third floor has been searched. He's not there. And Filch has done the dungeons; nothing there either." **

"Like you'd ever find him," Someone else snorts, shaking their head in disgust over the Potions professor.

"**What about the Astronomy tower? Professor Trelawney's room? The Owlery?" **

"**All searched…" **

"**Very well, Severus. I didn't really expect Black to linger." **

"Anyone intelligent enough wouldn't expect that," James laughs, smirking slightly at the slight jab towards his childhood nemesis.

"**Have you any theory as to how he got in, Professor?" asked Snape. **

"No, but you probably do," Lily interrupts herself, rolling her eyes.

**Harry raised his head very slightly off his arms to free his other ear. **

"**Many, Severus, each of them as unlikely as the next." **

**Harry opened his eyes a fraction and squinted up to where they stood; Dumbledore's back was to him, but he could see Percy's face, rapt with attention, and Snape's profile, which looked angry. **

"I wonder how the boy wonder got away with eavesdropping so clearly," Someone in the Weasley family snorts, causing a burst of laughter that lasted for a few minutes.

"**You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before — ah — the start of term?" said Snape, who was barely opening his lips, as though trying to block Percy out of the conversation. **

"I was," He snarls.

"**I do, Severus," said Dumbledore, and there was something like warning in his voice. **

"There was," Dumbledore sighs, shaking his head as Lily snorts.

"Stop trying to act so damn innocent, Dumbledweeb," James snarls, getting pissed off once more.

"**It seems — almost impossible — that Black could have entered the school without inside help."**

"BUT HE DID, DUH" James shouts, doing a little dance before pausing and scrunching up his face, "WHY DOES MY SON NOT HAVE ONE OF MY CREATIONS?!"

**-"I did express my concerns when you appointed —" **

James and Sirius could be heard snarling at this sentence, knowing immediately where Snape was going with his train of thought, whilst Lily glared at her former friend and scowled, before trying to continue to read.

"**I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it," said Dumbledore, and his tone made it so clear that the subject was closed that Snape didn't reply. **

"**I must go down to the Dementors," said Dumbledore. "I said I would inform them when our search was complete." **

"Can they actually understand what people say?" A muggleborn asks, whilst many others tilt their heads and wonder the same thing.

"**Didn't they want to help, sir?" said Percy. **

"**Oh yes," said Dumbledore coldly. "But I'm afraid no Dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am Headmaster."**

Harry snorts at this sentence, shuddering slightly as Sirius wraps his arm around him.

**Percy looked slightly abashed. Dumbledore left the hall, walking quickly and quietly. Snape stood for a moment, watching the headmaster with an expression of deep resentment on his face; then he too left. Harry glanced sideways at Ron and Hermione. Both of them had their eyes open too, reflecting the starry ceiling.**

"This doesn't surprise me," Amelia states, shrugging when Cornelius looks at her in surprise.

"**What was all that about?" Ron mouthed. **

"Like anyone truly knows?" Someone else replies.

**The school talked of nothing but Sirius Black for the next few days.**

"Ah yeah, I'm infamous!" Sirius snorts, shaking his head as he was reminded of how happy that sentence would've made his earlier self.

**The theories about how he had entered the castle became wilder and wilder; Hannah Abbott, from Hufflepuff, spent much of their next Herbology class telling anyone who'd listen that Black could turn into a flowering shrub. **

Sirius himself snorted at this sentence as James burst into loud guffaws and Lily giggled.

**The Fat Lady's ripped canvas had been taken off the wall and replaced with the portrait of Sir Cadogan and his fat gray pony.**

"Jesus, this ought to be interesting," A muggleborn whispered.

**Nobody was very happy about this. Sir Cadogan spent half his time challenging people to duels, and the rest thinking up ridiculously complicated passwords, which he changed at least twice a day. **

"Well, that explains it." Sirius snorts as James looks at his best friend in confusion, while Sirius shakes his head and Neville blushes, realizing what Sirius meant by that.

"**He's a complete lunatic," said Seamus Finnigan angrily to Percy. "Can't we get anyone else?" **

"**None of the other pictures wanted the job," said Percy. "Frightened of what happened to the Fat Lady. Sir Cadogan was the only one brave enough to volunteer."**

"Cadogan's got balls!" An older student shouts, as the rest of the students laugh.

**Sir Cadogan, however, was the least of Harry's worries.**

"You need to stop blaming yourself for everything or putting the world on your shoulders," Lily sighs, sadly.

**He was now being closely watched. Teachers found excuses to walk along corridors with him, and Percy Weasley (acting, Harry suspected, on his mother's orders) was tailing him everywhere like an extremely pompous guard dog. **

"Pup, you've beat Voldemort three times by this time. Are they actually still treating you like a child?" Sirius questions, aghast. When Harry remains silent, Sirius lets out a low growl, angry with everyone.

**To cap it all, Professor McGonagall summoned Harry into her office, with such a somber expression on her face Harry thought someone must have died.**

"Oh no, what's going on?" James groans, putting his head in his hands.

"**There's no point hiding it from you any longer, Potter," she said in a very serious voice. "I know this will come as a shock to you, but Sirius Black —" **

"**I know he's after me," said Harry wearily. "I heard Ron's dad telling his mum. Mr. Weasley works for the Ministry of Magic." **

"I was completely surprised when he said that," Minerva snorts, shaking her head, "But it should not have surprised me as much as it did."

**Professor McGonagall seemed very taken aback. She stared at Harry for a moment or two, then said, "I see! Well, in that case, Potter, you'll understand why I don't think it's a good idea for you to be practicing Quidditch in the evenings. Out on the field with only your team members, it's very exposed, Potter —" **

"Oh, c'mon Minnie, let the kid have some fun!" James groans, kicking the couch a little in his frustrations.

"**We've got our first match on Saturday!" said Harry, outraged. "I've got to train, Professor!"**

"Hear, hear!" James shouts, standing up and clenching his fist as Lily snorts.

**Professor McGonagall considered him intently. Harry knew she was deeply interested in the Gryffindor team's prospects; it had been she, after all, who'd suggested him as Seeker in the first Place. He waited, holding his breath. **

"I don't think there's anything to worry about," Lily interrupts herself, shaking her head slightly before looking briefly at her book of notes, wondering why she hasn't updated it in a while.

"**Hmm…"Professor McGonagall stood up and stared out of the window at the Quidditch field, just visible through the rain. "Well… goodness knows, I'd like to see us win the Cup at last… but all the same, Potter… I'd be happier if a teacher were present. I'll ask Madam Hooch to oversee your training sessions." **

"See, it's not that bad," Someone murmurs.

**The weather worsened steadily as the first Quidditch match drew nearer. Undaunted, the Gryffindor team was training harder than ever under the eye of Madam Hooch. Then, at their final training session before Saturday's match, Oliver Wood gave his team some unwelcome news. **

"Oh, what's going on now?" Someone utters, rolling their eyes.

"**We're not playing Slytherin!" he told them, looking very angry. "Flint's just been to see me. We're playing Hufflepuff instead."**

"Why?!" People shout, surprised.

"**Why?" chorused the rest of the team. **

"**Flint's excuse is that their Seeker's arm's still injured," said Wood, grinding his teeth furiously. **

"Oh, that's the biggest load of horse dung I've ever heard!" Hagrid shouts, surprising many people.

"**But it's obvious why they're doing it. Don't want to play in this weather. Think it'll damage their chances…" **

"Of course that's why. 'Cause they're big ol' wimps." James snorts, shaking his head in disgust.

**There had been strong winds and heavy rain all day, and as Wood spoke, they heard a distant rumble of thunder. **

"That's commitment."

"**There's nothing wrong with Malfoy's arm!" said Harry furiously. "He's faking it!" **

"We know. But the kids a brat, pup." Sirius interrupts.

"**I know that, but we can't prove it," said Wood bitterly, "And we've been practicing all those moves assuming we're playing Slytherin, and instead it's Hufflepuff, and their style's quite different. They've got a new Captain and Seeker, Cedric Diggory —" **

Many of the females sighed and looked down sadly, Cho being one of them while James arches his eyebrow and looks at his wife briefly.

"Was that not the kid who was with Harry last at the graveyard?" He whispers in his wife's ear. Lily nods and looks sad while James grimaces and understands better.

**Angelina, Alicia, and Katie suddenly giggled. **

"He was very attractive," Katie whispers as other females nod their heads.

"**What?" said Wood, frowning at this lighthearted behavior. **

"Does he not have a clue?" Someone giggles as someone else shrugs.

"**He's that tall, good-looking one, isn't he?" said Angelina. **

"**Strong and silent," said Katie, and they started to giggle again. **

"Why do girls like those type of guys?" Harry asks while many people in the room snort.

"What?"

"Harry, you're good-looking, strong, silent and girls love you!" Hermione laughs, while Harry blushes and opens his mouth like a fish out of water.

"**He's only silent because he's too thick to string two words together," said Fred impatiently.**

"Oy!" Cho whispers as many of the males snigger.

"**I don't know why you're worried, Oliver, Hufflepuff is a pushover. Last time we played them, Harry caught the Snitch in about five minutes, remember?" **

"Ah, a good game." James whispers in awe as many of the other Hufflepuff's scowl at the words they heard.

"**We were playing in completely different conditions!" Wood shouted, his eyes bulging slightly.**

"He needs to take a breather, man." Lily whispers, her eyes wide.

"**Diggory's put a very strong side together! He's an excellent Seeker! I was afraid you'd take it like this! We mustn't relax! We must keep our focus! Slytherin is trying to wrong-foot us! We **_**must **_**win!" **

"Don't push it," Lily growls while James snorts at his wife, causing her to blush.

"You love Quidditch Lilykins, just admit it."

"Never."

"**Oliver, calm down!" said Fred, looking slightly alarmed. "We're taking Hufflepuff very seriously. **_**Seriously**_**."**

Harry snorts at this sentence, shaking his head at the small hint.

**The day before the match, the winds reached howling point and the rain fell harder than ever. It was so dark inside the corridors and classrooms that extra torches and lanterns were lit. **

"Is it foreshadowing something wicked this way comes or something?" James snorts while Sirius' eyes widen and Harry flinches, suddenly remembering what happened during this match. James not having seen this, looks to his wife, who is looking towards Sirius and Harry with a glint in her eyes.

**The Slytherin team was looking very smug indeed, and none more so than Malfoy. **

"Why, for being such chickens? Didn't know you could be smug about something like that." Lily snorts as the Slytherins blush with wide eyes.

"**Ah, if only my arm was feeling a bit better!" he sighed as the gale outside pounded the windows. **

James, who had started clucking like a chicken, caused Malfoy to blush.

**Harry had no room in his head to worry about anything except the match tomorrow.**

"Okay, I'm writing that down because what the hell, my son should have a lot of room in his head," Lily whispers furiously, doing exactly what she said.

**Oliver Wood kept hurrying up to him between classes and giving him tips. **

"Well, that must have gotten annoying." Someone interrupts as Harry nods his head in remembrance.

**The third time this happened, Wood talked for so long that Harry suddenly realized he was ten minutes late for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and set off at a run with Wood shouting after him, "Diggory's got a very fast swerve, Harry, so you might want to try looping him —" **

"Awh don't worry Prongslet, Remus won't mind." James replies and Harry snorts as Remus looks towards his honorary nephew.

"Is this when I ?"

"Yep." Harry interrupts, knowing what Remus was asking.

**Harry skidded to a halt outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, pulled the door open, and dashed inside. **

"**Sorry I'm late, Professor Lupin. I —" But it wasn't Professor Lupin who looked up at him from the teacher's desk;**

"Who was it?" James groans as Lily looks towards Snape with a glare, already knowin.

**- it was Snape.**

James could be heard mumbling a bunch of swear words and glaring between Snape and the sky.

"**This lesson began ten minutes ago, Potter, so I think we'll make it ten points from Gryffindor. Sit down." **

Many people grimace at this, realizing that Snape's going to look like an even bigger asshole through each book.

**But Harry didn't move. **

"Harry," Hermione groans.

"What? You were there, 'Mione." Harry shrugs.

"**Where's Professor Lupin?" he said. **

"Harry, he won't like that."

"**He says he is feeling too ill to teach today," said Snape with a twisted smile. "I believe I told you to sit down?"**

James and Sirius could both be heard growling and Pettigrew, making sure to remain quiet throughout the reading, inches back.

**But Harry stayed where he was. **

Lily snorts at this, shaking her head as Remus grimaces.

"**What's wrong with him?" **

"Harry, please just sit down." Luna groans.

**Snape's black eyes glittered. **

"Never a good sign," Remus sighs, disappointed in his old school peer.

"**Nothing life-threatening," he said, looking as though he wished it were.**

"Wishing death on someone? How hypocritical and death-eater like." James snarls, feeling protective.

"**Five more points from Gryffindor, and if I have to ask you to sit down again, it will be fifty." **

"Not fair, Severus," Minerva mutters, her eyes in dangerous slits.

**Harry walked slowly to his seat and sat down. Snape looked around at the class. "As I was saying before Potter interrupted, Professor Lupin has not left any record of the topics you have covered so far —" **

"Uhm, bullshit." Remus interrupts, angry at Snape. "I gave you my records when I asked you to take over my class. I can see now how much of a big mistake that was, seeing as you're still acting like a 16 year old boy jealous that he didn't get the girl," Remus finishes, seething. He's never been as angry at Snape than before now, and his eyes have turned a nice gold to represent that.

"**Please, sir, we've done Boggarts, Red Caps, Kappas, and Grindylows," said Hermione quickly, "and we're just about to start —" **

"I doubt the brat'll listen to you dear," Lily seethes, trying to remain calm.

"**Be quiet," said Snape coldly. "I did not ask for information. I was merely commenting on Professor Lupin's lack of organization." **

"Remus is very organized, you dunderhead," Sirius snaps.

"**He's the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had," said Dean Thomas boldly, and there was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the class. Snape looked more menacing than ever. **

"Of course. Doesn't want anyone to be happy. Reminds me of that uncle of yours, Potter." Zzabini mutters from the Slytherin table, surprising many people.

"**You are easily satisfied. Lupin is hardly overtaxing you — I would expect first years to be able to deal with Red Caps and Grindylows. Today we shall discuss —" **

Many of the professors snort at this sentence before glaring at Snape, knowing how much of a lie his previous sentence truly was. Snape flinched backwards, grimacing before he decides to sneer, not letting anyone get to him.

**Harry watched him flick through the textbook, to the very back chapter, which he must know they hadn't covered. **

James and Sirius glare at that sentence before James snarls towards Snape, "I swear to Merlin, Severus, if you're going to mention—" But is interrupted by his wife continuing to read.

"— **werewolves," said Snape. **

There was a cry of outrage from the teachers. The teachers, having been told about Remus being a werewolf at the beginning of the year, were furious that Snape would try and something as cowardly as that.

"**But, sir," said Hermione, seemingly unable to restrain herself, "we're not supposed to do werewolves yet, we're due to start Hinkypunks —" **

"**Miss Granger," said Snape in a voice of deadly calm, "I was under the impression that I am teaching this lesson, not you. And I am telling you all to turn to page 394." He glanced around again. "**_**All of you! Now!**_**" **

James snarls even more now than before, protective of the young female who will clearly be in his family.

**With many bitter sidelong looks and some sullen muttering, the class opened their books. **

"Well, we didn't exactly want him teaching us over Professor Lupin," Someone in Ravenclaw mutters, crossing their arms in anger.

"**Which of you can tell me how we distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?" said Snape. **

"If they haven't actually learned about werewolves yet, what makes you fucking think they'll know the answer this?" Sirius growls while Harry laughs and Lily snorts.

"Sirius, you shouldn't swear in front of children!" Molly snaps as Sirius takes a deep breath as to try not to snap at Molly in return. James, seeing this, arches his eyebrow and wonders if he'll learn anything about that soon.

**Everyone sat in motionless silence; everyone except Hermione, whose hand, as it so often did, had shot straight into the air. **

"Let me guess, the greasy-haired git ignores you." Lily sighs, getting tired of the crap that her old friend put her son and his friends through.

"**Anyone?" Snape said, ignoring Hermione. His twisted smile was back. "Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the basic distinction between —" **

"He wouldn't've anyways, seeing as they weren't learning that!" Someone older snaps.

"**We told you," said Parvati suddenly, "we haven't got as far as werewolves yet, we're still on-" **

"It won't matter, will it?" Someone sighs.

"_**Silence**_**!" snarled Snape. "Well, well, well, I never thought I'd meet a third-year class who wouldn't even recognize a werewolf when they saw one. I shall make a point of informing Professor Dumbledore how very behind you all are…" **

"Yeah, I bet you informed Dumbledore. More like Voldemort," Fred snorts, glaring at the Potions Professor, who flinches.

"**Please, sir," said Hermione, whose hand was still in the air, "the werewolf differs from the true wolf in several small ways. The snout of the werewolf —" **

"He's going to take points off," A person sighs while another person, someone younger and new, whispers, "but why? He got what he asked for!"

"**That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger," said Snape coolly. "Five more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all." **

There was a complete silence at this sentence, while many of the adults glared at Snape for his word usage. Lily, who saw herself in Hermione, was glaring the hardest at her old friend. James, who saw the Lily was about to 'blow a gasket' as she would say, wrapped his arms around his wife and started whispering things toward her in order to calm her down. Hermione had looked down and flinched, remembering how she had felt during that day. Harry, not impressed with re-reading about that day in itself and having the memory of it anyways, glared at Snape before muttering something incomprehensible.

"You never make fun of a student, Severus." Minerva whispers, her quietness harsh.

**Hermione went very red, put down her hand, and stared at the floor with her eyes full of tears.**

Lily, having calmed down enough to continue reading, handed the book towards James, who handed it to Minerva, who held it while James rubbed his wife's shoulders to stop her from crying. It wasn't until ten minutes later that Lily was fine enough to continue reading. Before however, she quickly said to Snape, "If you can't grow up, you will never be happy."

Even then however, James beat her to finishing. "If you ever loved my wife, Severus, you wouldn't have acted the way you have. Because as long as she was happy, you would've tried your damn hardest to show her you were happy for her."

The room remained quiet at that sentence and Snape snarled and glared at everything.

**It was a mark of how much the class loathed Snape that they were all glaring at him, because every one of them had called Hermione a know-it-all at least once, and Ron, who told Hermione she was a know-it-all at least twice a week, said loudly, "You asked us a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don't want to be told?" **

Many people in the Great Hall flinched, knowing how much Snape wouldn't have liked that. As Lily continued to read – and glare – they knew instantly they were right.

**The class knew instantly he'd gone too far. Snape advanced on Ron slowly, and the room held its breath. **

"Let me guess, a detention for our little brother?" Charlie snarls, furious.

"**Detention, Weasley," Snape said silkily, his face very close to Ron's. "And if I ever hear you criticize the way I teach a class again, you will be very sorry indeed." **

"Yeah, what are you going to do when _everyone _criticizes your so called teaching skills?" Sirius snaps.

**No one made a sound throughout the rest of the lesson. They sat and made notes on werewolves from the textbook, while Snape prowled up and down the rows of desks, examining the work they had been doing with Professor Lupin. **

"And this is where he basically tries to discredit you," Ron snarls, crossing his own arms in anger.

"**Very poorly explained… That is incorrect, the Kappa is more commonly found in Mongolia… Professor Lupin gave this eight out of ten? I wouldn't have given it three…" **

"Yeah, well you're a bitter greasy-haired git who is just jealous he didn't get the girl and owes his life to the man who did!" Harry snaps, getting sick and tired of reading this chapter.

**When the bell rang at last, Snape held them back. **

"Now what?" James groans.

"**You will each write an essay, to be handed in to me, on the ways you recognize and kill werewolves. I want two rolls of parchment on the subject, and I want them by Monday morning. It is time somebody took this class in hand. Weasley, stay behind, we need to arrange your detention." **

"One, a professor subbing for another professor can't assign that class any assignments unless the sick professor says it's alright and two, the class was perfectly fine!" Minerva snaps, slamming her palm on the table, making many people jump in surprise.

**Harry and Hermione left the room with the rest of the class, who waited until they were well out of earshot, then burst into a furious tirade about Snape. **

"**Snape's never been like this with any of our other Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, even if he did want the job," Harry said to Hermione. "Why's he got it in for Lupin? D'you think this is all because of the Boggart?" **

"I wish," Sirius mutters, feeling horrible for his best friend. Remus, having heard this, smiles at Sirius, making sure he knows there's no blame being placed.

"**I don't know," said Hermione pensively. "But I really hope Professor Lupin gets better soon…" **

"We all did!" Many Gryffindors shout, alongside other students.

**Ron caught up with them five minutes later, in a towering rage. **

"**D'you know what that —" (he called Snape something that made Hermione say "**_**Ron**_**!") "— is making me do? I've got to scrub out the bedpans in the hospital wing. **_**Without magic**_**!" He was breathing deeply, his fists clenched. "Why couldn't Black have hidden in Snape's office, eh? He could have finished him off for us!" **

Sirius snorted at this sentence, wishing he would've but knowing he couldn't have done so.

**Harry woke extremely early the next morning; so early that it was still dark. For a moment he thought the roaring of the wind had woken him. Then he felt a cold breeze on the back of his neck and sat bolt upright — Peeves the Poltergeist had been floating next to him, blowing hard in his ear. **

"That's really creepy," Lily laughs.

"**What did you do that for?" said Harry furiously. Peeves puffed out his cheeks, blew hard, and zoomed backward out of the room, cackling. **

"Okay, what?" Someone questions, snorting.

**Harry fumbled for his alarm clock and looked at it. It was half past four. Cursing Peeves, he rolled over and tried to get back to sleep, but it was very difficult, now that he was awake, to ignore the sounds of the thunder rumbling overhead, the pounding of the wind against the castle walls, and the distant creaking of the trees in the Forbidden Forest. In a few hours he would be out on the Quidditch field, battling through that gale. Finally, he gave up any thought of more sleep, got up, dressed, picked up his Nimbus Two Thousand, and walked quietly out of the dormitory. **

**As Harry opened the door, something brushed against his leg. He bent down just in time to grab Crookshanks by the end of his bushy tail and drag him outside. **

"I wish I had let him in," Harry snorts, shaking his head as Pettigrew flinches and Harry glares.

"**You know, I reckon Ron was right about you," Harry told Crookshanks suspiciously. "There are plenty of mice around this place — go and chase them. Go on," he added, nudging Crookshanks down the spiral staircase with his foot. "Leave Scabbers alone."**

"Now we know the truth." Ron mutters.

**The noise of the storm was even louder in the common room. Harry knew better than to think the match would be canceled; Quidditch matches weren't called off for trifles like thunderstorms.**

"But it's dangerous!" Both Lily and Hermione groan as James laughs and Harry grins.

**Nevertheless, he was starting to feel very apprehensive. Wood had pointed out Cedric Diggory to him in the corridor; Diggory was a fifth year and a lot bigger than Harry. Seekers were usually light and speedy, but Diggory's weight would be an advantage in this weather because he was less likely to be blown off course. **

"That's especially true," Ron snorts before his eyes widen and he looks towards Harry apologetically.

**Harry whiled away the hours until dawn in front of the fire, getting up every now and then to stop Crookshanks from sneaking up the boys' staircase again. At long last Harry thought it must be time for breakfast, so he headed through the portrait hole alone. **

"**Stand and fight, you mangy cur!" yelled Sir Cadogan. **

Many people snorted at this sentence, shaking their heads.

"**Oh, shut up," Harry yawned. **

"I shouldn't find that adorable, but I find that adorable," James snorts as Harry blushes.

**He revived a bit over a large bowl of porridge, and by the time he'd started on toast, the rest of the team had turned up. **

"Well, at least you're eating this time," Someone snorts.

"**It's going to be a tough one," said Wood, who wasn't eating anything. **

"**Stop worrying, Oliver," said Alicia soothingly, "we don't mind a bit of rain." **

"It isn't really a _bit_ of rain though, is it?" James laughs.

**But it was considerably more than a bit of rain. Such was the popularity of Quidditch that the whole school turned out to watch the match as usual, but they ran down the lawns toward the Quidditch field, heads bowed against the ferocious wind, umbrellas being whipped out of their hands as they went. **

"Dedi-fucking-cation" Lee Jordan whispers, eyes wide.

**Just before he entered the locker room, Harry saw Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, laughing and pointing at him from under an enormous umbrella on their way to the stadium. **

"Please, grow the hell up." Narcissa sighs, rolling her eyes at her son's immature behaviour.

**The team changed into their scarlet robes and waited for Wood's usual pre-match pep talk, but it didn't come. **

"Woah, you can't break Quidditch tradition like that!" James interrupts, opening and closing his mouth in surprise.

**He tried to speak several times, made an odd gulping noise, then shook his head hopelessly and beckoned them to follow him. **

"Oh, he's incredibly nervous." A female muttered, completely surprised.

**The wind was so strong that they staggered sideways as they walked out onto the field. If the crowd was cheering, they couldn't hear it over the fresh rolls of thunder. Rain was splattering over Harry's glasses. How on earth was he going to see the Snitch in this? **

"Harry, you need to learn the impervious spell," Lily sighs as James laughs at his son's smirk towards Hermione, who blushes.

**The Hufflepuffs were approaching from the opposite side of the field, wearing canary-yellow robes. The Captains walked up to each other and shook hands; Diggory smiled at Wood but Wood now looked as though he had lockjaw and merely nodded. Harry saw Madam Hooch's mouth form the words, "Mount Your brooms." He pulled his right foot out of the mud with a squelch and swung it over his Nimbus Two Thousand. Madam Hooch put her whistle to her lips and gave it a blast that sounded shrill and distant — they were off. **

James had started to shake his leg during the beginnings of the reading of the game, and being dramatic, had even conjured up some dramatic music he had heard once when his wife was watching some episode on the television of two guys fake figure skating on a carpeted stage. He remembered snorting at the bald guy and the tall guy, thankful he had heard that music in the first place.

**Harry rose fast, but his Nimbus was swerving slightly with the wind. He held it as steady as he could and turned, squinting into the rain. **

**Within five minutes Harry was soaked to his skin and frozen, hardly able to see his teammates, let alone the tiny Snitch. He flew backward and forward across the field past blurred red and yellow shapes, with no idea of what was happening in the rest of the game. He couldn't hear the commentary over the wind. **

"I was barely even commentating on anything that game," Lee interrupts, grimacing at the memory of the game.

**The crowd was hidden beneath a sea of cloaks and battered umbrellas. Twice Harry came very close to being unseated by a Bludger; his vision was so clouded by the rain on his glasses he hadn't seen them coming. **

"Hermione, go and impervious his glasses already," Sirius laughs.

**He lost track of time. It was getting harder and harder to hold his broom straight. **

"Do you -"

"Fred, please no innuendo," Remus interrupts, grimacing at the thought as Fred looks down in sadness before smirking.

**The sky was getting darker, as though night had decided to come early. Twice Harry nearly hit another player, without knowing whether it was a teammate or opponent; everyone was now so wet, and the rain so thick, he could hardly tell them apart… **

"We need rules about not playing in this type of weather," Minerva mutters as many female professors nod their heads in agreement.

**With the first flash of lightning came the sound of Madam Hooch's whistle; Harry could just see the outline of Wood through the thick rain, gesturing him to the ground. The whole team splashed down into the mud. **

"**I called for time-out!" Wood roared at his team. "Come on, under here —" **

**They huddled at the edge of the field under a large umbrella; Harry took off his glasses and wiped them hurriedly on his robes. **

"I'd imagine that wouldn't work Potter, as your robes are more wet than your glasses," Poppy snorts.

"**What's the score?" **

"**We're fifty points up," said Wood, "but unless we get the Snitch soon, we'll be playing into the night." **

"Yeah, that won't be fun," Someone snorts.

"**I've got no chance with these on," Harry said exasperatedly, waving his glasses. At that very moment, Hermione appeared at his shoulder; she was holding her cloak over her head and was, inexplicably, beaming. **

"Atta girl!' Both James and Sirius shout as Lily puts the book down and claps in excitement, causing Hermione to grin and blush.

"**I've had an idea, Harry! Give me your glasses, quick!" **

**He handed them to her, and as the team watched in amazement, Hermione tapped them with her wand and said, "**_**Impervius**_**!" **

"**There!" she said, handing them back to Harry. "They'll repel water!" **

**Wood looked as though he could have kissed her. **

"Thank god he didn't!" Harry said aghast, his eyes wide as many people laughed at his reaction.

"**Brilliant!" he called hoarsely after her as she disappeared into the crowd. "Okay, team, let's go for it!" **

**Hermione's spell had done the trick. Harry was still numb with cold, still wetter than he'd ever been in his life, but he could see. Full of fresh determination, he urged his broom through the turbulent air, staring in every direction for the Snitch, avoiding a Bludger, ducking beneath Diggory, who was streaking in the opposite direction… **

**There was another clap of thunder, followed immediately by forked lightning. This was getting more and more dangerous. Harry needed to get the Snitch quickly — **

"Please do," James sighed.

**He turned, intending to head back toward the middle of the field, but at that moment, another flash of lightning illuminated the stands, and Harry saw something that distracted him completely, the silhouette of an enormous shaggy black dog, clearly imprinted against the sky, motionless in the topmost, empty row of seats. **

Sirius looked towards Harry, opening and closing his mouth in surprise.

"Was that you?"

"Yeah. I had a freaking panic attack when what happened happened." Sirius mutters

**Harry's numb hands slipped on the broom handle and his Nimbus dropped a few feet. Shaking his sodden bangs out of his eyes, he squinted back into the stands. The dog had vanished. **

"The dementors were coming, but I was still watching. Just hidden," Sirius whispers, his arm around Harry's shoulders as Harry nods his head slightly.

"**Harry!" came Wood's anguished yell from the Gryffindor goal posts. "Harry, behind you!" **

**Harry looked wildly around. Cedric Diggory was pelting up the field, and a tiny speck of gold was shimmering in the rain-filled air between them… **

**With a jolt of panic, Harry threw himself flat to the broom handle and zoomed toward the Snitch. **

"Yes!' James starts shouting, as Lily's eyes go wide when she reads ahead.

"**Come on!" he growled at his Nimbus as the rain whipped his face. "**_**Faster**_**!" **

**But something odd was happening. An eerie silence was falling across the stadium. The wind, though as strong as ever, was forgetting to roar. It was as though someone had turned off the sound, as though Harry had gone suddenly deaf — what was going on? **

Sirius shuddered at this sentence and James, having noticed this, looked at his best friend in confusion.

**And then a horribly familiar wave of cold swept over him, inside him, just as he became aware of something moving on the field below… Before he'd had time to think, Harry had taken his eyes off the Snitch and looked down. **

"Oh no." James groans, feeling nervous for his son.

**At least a hundred Dementors, their hidden faces pointing up at him, were standing beneath him.**

"Oh, not cool. Good going Sirius," James groans, joking a little bit as Sirius sticks his tongue out at his best friend.

**It was as though freezing water were rising in his chest, cutting at his insides. **

"Jeeze pup, stop being so damn descriptive," Sirius mutters, shaking slightly as Harry smiles sadly.

**And then he heard it again… Someone was screaming, screaming inside his head… a woman… **

Lily stops reading here, her eyes wide once more. She takes a deep breath before continuing to read, as her husband looks at her.

"_**Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"**_

"**Stand aside, you silly girl… stand aside, now…" **

"**Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead —"**

The room remained quiet, finally understanding why Lily's voice was shaking and why Harry had been grimacing throughout the chapter at random points. Many people looked down with sorrow, silently thankful that they had their parents, that they didn't have to know about their deaths or anything. Minutes later, Lily tried to continue reading.

**Numbing, swirling white mist was filling Harry's brain… What was he doing? Why was he flying? He needed to help her… She was going to die… She was going to be murdered… **

"Harry," Lily whispers as James groans.

**He was falling, falling through the icy mist. **

"_**Not Harry! Please… have mercy… have mercy…" **_

Lily and James both flinched here as Sirius and Remus grimaced.

**A shrill voice was laughing, the woman was screaming, and Harry knew no more. **

"He's not dead, is he?" Someone questions while someone else rolls their eyes.

"Obviously not," A person snorts.

"**Lucky the ground was so soft." **

"**I thought he was dead for sure." **

"**But he didn't even break his glasses." **

"That's pretty impressive," James mutters, trying to calm his beating heart down. He hadn't known what his wife had done to die herself, and hearing it surprised him so much that he just wanted to hold Lily. Unfortunately, he'd have to wait until the chapter was finished.

**Harry could hear the voices whispering, but they made no sense whatsoever.**

"That happens when you're in the hospital wing, Potter." Poppy mutters, rolling her eyes at the amount of times she's seen him.

**He didn't have a clue where he was, or how he'd got there, or what he'd been doing before he got there. All he knew was that every inch of him was aching as though it had been beaten. **

"Good enough," Poppy snorts.

"**That was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life." **

**Scariest… the scariest thing… hooded black figures… cold… screaming… **

Many people in the room shuddered, not liking the effects of the Dementors anymore now than they did previously.

**Harry's eyes snapped open. He was lying in the hospital wing. The Gryffindor Quidditch team, spattered with mud from head to foot, was gathered around his bed. Ron and Hermione were also there, looking as though they'd just climbed out of a swimming pool. **

"Well, it was raining a lot." Ron mutters, rolling his eyes.

"**Harry!" said Fred, who looked extremely white underneath, the mud. "How're you feeling?" **

"Well, yeah! He's an honorary little brother and I thought he was dead!" Fred interrupts, crossing his arms in annoyance.

**It was as though Harry's memory was on fast forward. The lightning… the Grim… the Snitch… and the Dementors… **

"**What happened?" he said, sitting up so suddenly they all gasped. **

"It was kind of surprising," George snorts as many of the other Quidditch members nod their heads.

"**You fell off," said Fred. "Must've been — what — fifty feet?" **

"More than that," Minerva snarls, glaring at Dumbledore who grimaces and moves back slightly.

"**We thought you'd died," said Alicia, who was shaking. **

**Hermione made a small, squeaky noise. Her eyes were extremely bloodshot. **

"I was scared! I was just realizing my feelings and then you had to go and fall fifty feet and I couldn't handle what would've happened if my best friend was gone and—"

"'Mione, breathe," Harry laughs as Hermione's eyes widen and she gasps.

"**But the match," said Harry. "What happened? Are we doing a replay?" **

**No one said anything. The horrible truth sank into Harry like a stone. **

"**We didn't — **_**lose**_**?" **

"You sound like you're invincible, Potter." Snape snarls as Harry rolls his eyes and remains silent.

"**Diggory got the Snitch," said George. "Just after you fell. He didn't realize what had happened. When he looked back and saw you on the ground, he tried to call it off. Wanted a rematch. But they won fair and square… even Wood admits it."**

"Diggory was a good kid." James sighs, looking down.

"**Where is Wood?" said Harry, suddenly realizing he wasn't there. **

"**Still in the showers," said Fred. "We think he's trying to drown himself." **

"Probably." Someone snorts.

**Harry put his face to his knees, his hands gripping his hair. Fred grabbed his shoulder and shook it roughly. **

"**C'mon, Harry, you've never missed the Snitch before." **

"**There had to be one time you didn't get it," said George. **

"**It's not over yet," said Fred. "We lost by a hundred points." **

"**Right? So if Hufflepuff loses to Ravenclaw and we beat Ravenclaw and Slytherin…" **

"**Hufflepuff'll have to lose by at least two hundred points," said George. **

"**But if they beat Ravenclaw…" **

"**No way, Ravenclaw is too good. But if Slytherin loses against Hufflepuff…"**

"**It all depends on the points — a margin of a hundred either way —" **

"I think you guys just confused him. You certainly confused me." Remus laughs, shaking his head.

**Harry lay there, not saying a word. They had lost… for the first time ever, he had lost a Quidditch match. **

"It's okay to lose, kiddo." James smiles slightly as Harry nods.

**After ten minutes or so, Madam Pomfrey came over to tell the team to leave him in peace. **

"**We'll come and see you later," Fred told him. "Don't beat yourself up Harry, you're still the best Seeker we've ever had." The team trooped out, trailing mud behind them. Madam Pomfrey shut the door behind them, looking disapproving. Ron and Hermione moved nearer to Harry's bed. **

"**Dumbledore was really angry," Hermione said in a quaking voice. "I've never seen him like that before. He ran onto the field as you fell, waved his wand, and you sort of slowed down before you hit the ground. Then he whirled his wand at the Dementors. Shot silver stuff at them. They left the stadium right away… He was furious they'd come onto the grounds. We heard him —" **

"Heard him what?" James snarls, while thankful Harry's life was saved, was still furious with the headmaster.

"Muttering something about time." Hermione finishes, beginning to shake again as she writes that down in her own book, having just remembered it herself.

"**Then he magicked you onto a stretcher," said Ron. "And walked up to school with you floating on it. Everyone thought you were…" **

**His voice faded, but Harry hardly noticed. He was thinking about what the Dementors had done to him… about the screaming voice. He looked up and saw Ron and Hermione looking at him so anxiously that he quickly cast around for something matter-of-fact to say. **

"Interesting."

"**Did someone get my Nimbus?" **

"Yeah, what happened to the broomstick?" James questions, smiling.

**Ron and Hermione looked quickly at each other. **

"What happened to the broomstick?" James questions again, no longer smiling.

"**Er —" **

"**What?" said Harry, looking from one to the other. **

"**Well… when you fell off, it got blown away," said Hermione hesitantly. **

"**And?" **

"**And it hit — it hit — oh, Harry — it hit the Whomping Willow."**

James, Remus, Sirius and Lily all flinch, knowing immediately what would have happened to the broomstick if it hit the Whomping Willow.

"Sorry, pup." Sirius whispers as Harry shrugs.

"It's ok. I got an amazing broomstick afterwards."

**Harry's insides lurched. The Whomping Willow was a very violent tree that stood alone in the middle of the grounds. **

"**And?" he said, dreading the answer. **

"**Well, you know the Whomping Willow," said Ron. "It — it doesn't like being hit." **

"**Professor Flitwick brought it back just before you came around," said Hermione in a very small voice. **

**Slowly, she reached down for a bag at her feet, turned it upside down, and tipped a dozen bits of splintered wood and twig onto the bed, the only remains of Harry's faithful, finally beaten broomstick.**

Lily snapped the book shut before sighing, letting out all of the tension she had in her shoulders.

"Who'd like to read next?" Lily questions, before watching the book float over to Fred, who takes it happily as James wraps his arms around Lily and everyone else continues to get comfortable on the couches and food appears for a snack.

"Fred, what's the next chapter?" James questions, hoping it's something fun and light after the one they just read. Fred opens the book before looking towards George and Harry and grinning.

"**Chapter Ten, The Marauder's Map" **Fred smirks as James starts shrieking and laughing and trying to clap and Lily snorts, shaking her head wondering how her son managed to procure the one thing James had been extremely proud of in his Hogwarts years.

Remus and Sirius had also started cheering, doing a little dance while Pettigrew shrinked back, realizing that his old school friends would probably begin to glare at him more often than not whenever his nickname was mentioned. No, Peter Pettigrew was definitely not looking forward to reading this chapter.


	49. Chapter 49

**Author's Note: **Here's the next chapter, you guys. Another somewhat long author's review at the end pertaining some things. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I want to thank all the reviews/follows/favorites/community adds. I tried responding to everyone that I could but my internet's been wonky a lot lately. I might update a lot more chapters within the next week, so be on the look out, cause they might not be all for published stories ;)

* * *

"**CHAPTER TEN, The Marauder's Map" **Fred begins, grinning at his brother and Harry as James cheers and Lily sighs, smiling.

**Madam Pomfrey insisted on keeping Harry in the hospital wing for the rest of the weekend.**

"I hate the hospital wing," Harry murmurs, rolling his eyes slightly at how he's always in the damn place. Sirius, hearing this, smirks.

"Your father and I were also always in the wing, so don't worry about it."

"Did you have your own bed?"

"Yep."

"With your name on top of it."

"Ta." James interrupts grinning while Harry opens and closes his mouth in surprise.

**He didn't argue or complain, but he wouldn't let her throw away the shattered remnants of his Nimbus Two Thousand. He knew he was being stupid, knew that the Nimbus was beyond repair, but Harry couldn't help it; he felt as though he'd lost one of his best friends. **

"Jeeze Harry, thanks." Ron snorts, shaking his head as Hermione laughs.

"Well, it meant a lot to you Harry, so I'm okay with that." She states, squeezing his hand with a smile.

**He had a stream of visitors, all intent on cheering him up.**

"Well, that's nice." Tonks interrupts.

**Hagrid sent him a bunch of earwiggy flowers that looked like yellow cabbages, and Ginny Weasley, blushing furiously, turned up with a get-well card she had made herself, which sang shrilly unless Harry kept it shut under his bowl of fruit. **

Many people snorted at this, but whether it was because of Hagrid's gift or Ginny's no one knew.

**The Gryffindor team visited again on Sunday morning, this time accompanied by Wood, who told Harry (in a hollow, dead sort of voice) that he didn't blame him in the slightest.**

"Please, be more sure about that," Remus snorts, a little disgusted.

**Ron and Hermione left Harry's bedside only at night. But nothing anyone said or did could make Harry feel any better, because they knew only half of what was troubling him.**

"You need to communicate more, son." Lily sighs, her chin in her hand.

**He hadn't told anyone about the Grim, not even Ron and Hermione, because he knew Ron would panic and Hermione would scoff.**

"Would you guys have actually done those things?" Lee Jordan asks and at Ron's blush, everyone laughed at how well Harry had his friends pinned.

**The fact remained, however, that it had now appeared twice, and both appearances had been followed by near-fatal accidents; the first time, he had nearly been run over by the Knight Bus; the second, fallen fifty feet from his broomstick. Was the Grim going to haunt him until he actually died? **

"Yes Harry, the Grim is going to continuously haunt you until your death," Sirius snorts with a smirk as Harry laughs.

**Was he going to spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder for the beast? **

"Well yeah, but not that kind of beast." Ron whispers, causing Hermione to hit him on the shoulder, chuckling.

**And then there were the Dementors. **

Sirius shuddered slightly at this while Harry paled. James and Lily, having seen this, were really wanting to know what happened to cause that reaction and what truly happened to Sirius to cause him to go to Azkaban.

**Harry felt sick and humiliated every time he thought of them. Everyone said the Dementors were horrible, but no one else collapsed every time they went near one. No one else heard echoes in their head of their dying parents. **

"Because no one else has heard their parents die, Harry." Luna interrupts, looking into Harry's eyes causing him to shuffle around.

"She has a point, pup." Sirius whispers.

**Because Harry knew who that screaming voice belonged to now. He had heard her words, heard them over and over again during the night hours in the hospital wing while he lay awake, staring at the strips of moonlight on the ceiling. When the Dementors approached him, he heard the last moments of his mother's life, her attempts to protect him, Harry, from Lord Voldemort, and Voldemort's laughter before he murdered her… Harry dozed fitfully, sinking into dreams full of clammy, rotted hands and petrified pleading, jerking awake to dwell again on his mother's voice. **

Lily flinched at this paragraph, shaking a little bit whilst James held her and Snape glared slightly.

**It was a relief to return to the noise and bustle of the main school on Monday, where he was forced to think about other things, even if he had to endure Draco Malfoy's taunting.**

"Wow, just like your godfather," Lily snaps, annoyance in her face and voice, causing many students to back away slightly.

**Malfoy was almost beside himself with glee at Gryffindor's defeat. He had finally taken off his bandages, and celebrated having the full use of both arms again by doing spirited imitations of Harry falling off his broom. **

"Narcissa, do me a favour and teach your son some maturity." Sirius sighs, rolling his eyes as both male Malfoy's glare and Narcissa smirks.

**Malfoy spent much of their next Potions class doing Dementor imitations across the dungeon; Ron finally cracked and flung a large, slippery crocodile heart at Malfoy, which hit him in the face and caused Snape to take fifty points from Gryffindor. **

"**If Snape's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts again, I'm skiving off," said Ron as they headed toward Lupin's classroom after lunch. "Check who's in there, Hermione." Hermione peered around the classroom door. **

"**It's okay!" **

"Thank Merlin," someone whispers.

**Professor Lupin was back at work. It certainly looked as though he had been ill. His old robes were hanging more loosely on him and there were dark shadows beneath his eyes; **

"Harry," Remus groans as Sirius laughs.

"Sorry, Remus." Harry grins sheepishly.

**- nevertheless, he smiled at the class as they took their seats, and they burst at once into an explosion of complaints about Snape's behavior while Lupin had been ill. **

"That was rather funny to see." Lupin admits, grinning.

"**It's not fair, he was only filling in, why should he give us homework?" **

"**We don't know anything about werewolves —" **

"— **two rolls of parchment!" **

"**Did you tell Professor Snape we haven't covered them yet?" Lupin asked, frowning slightly. **

"Was it because of the werewolves or the unjustice of it all, Moony?" Lily laughs.

"Both." Remus replies as Fred tilts his head to the side before shaking it.

**The babble broke out again. **

"**Yes, but he said we were really behind —" **

"— **he wouldn't listen —" **

"— _**two rolls of parchment**_**!" **

"Sounds like someone is _really _upset over doing two rolls of parchment." James says, laughing.

**Professor Lupin smiled at the look of indignation on every face. "Don't worry. I'll speak to Professor Snape. You don't have to do the essay." **

"I bet Hermione's already done it." Lily laughs while James snorts.

"So much like yourself."

"**Oh **_**no**_**," said Hermione, looking very disappointed. "I've already finished it!" **

"See?"

**They had a very enjoyable lesson. Professor Lupin had brought along a glass box containing a Hinkypunk, a little one-legged creature who looked as though he were made of wisps of smoke, rather frail and harmless looking. **

"Anything but."

"**Lures travelers into bogs," said Professor Lupin as they took notes. "You notice the lantern dangling from his hand? Hops ahead — people follow the light — then —" **

**The Hinkypunk made a horrible squelching noise against the glass. **

Many younger students flinched.

**When the bell rang, everyone gathered up their things and headed for the door, Harry among them, but — **

"Remus." Lily sighs, smirking while sounding annoyed at the same time as Remus just shrugs.

"**Wait a moment, Harry," Lupin called. "I'd like a word." **

**Harry doubled back and watched Professor Lupin covering the Hinkypunk's box with a cloth. **

"**I heard about the match," said Lupin, turning back to his desk and starting to pile books into his briefcase, "and I'm sorry about your broomstick. Is there any chance of fixing it?" **

"**No," said Harry. "The tree smashed it to bits." **

**Lupin sighed. **

"Stop. Feeling. Guilty" both James and Sirius interrupt, ferocious and overprotective of their friend, who just grimaces as Harry nods in agreement, now the he knows what Remus was getting at.

"**They planted the Whomping Willow the same year that I arrived at Hogwarts. People used to play a game, trying to get near enough to touch the trunk. In the end, a boy called Davey Gudgeon nearly lost an eye, and we were forbidden to go near it. No broomstick would have a chance." **

"I remember that." James whispers, flinching slightly.

"I remember nearly dying because of it," Snape snaps.

"If you hadn't baited Sirius then –" Lily begins only to be stopped by Sirius himself.

"Lils, it's fine. We've all grown up about it except Snape, so let him be a prat." He finishes, glaring as James strokes Lily's arm in reassurance.

"**Did you hear about the Dementors too?" said Harry with difficulty. **

**Lupin looked at him quickly. **

"**Yes, I did. I don't think any of us have seen Professor Dumbledore that angry. They have been growing restless for some time… furious at his refusal to let them inside the grounds… I suppose they were the reason you fell?"**

"Partly." Someone snorts.

"**Yes," said Harry. He hesitated, and then the question he had to ask burst from him before he could stop himself. "**_**Why**_**? Why do they affect me like that? Am I just —?" **

"You're not weak." Sirius and James interrupt, grinning at one another before Sirius turns to his godson.

"Harry, you experienced death at an extremely young age, and then never really remembered it consciously. The Dementors would have an effect on anyone who experienced something like that. It doesn't make you weak, or stupid, it makes you strong for being able to fight." Sirius finishes as Harry nods his head slightly.

"**It has nothing to do with weakness," said Professor Lupin sharply, as though he had read Harry's mind. "The Dementors affect you worse than the others because there are horrors in your past that the others don't have." **

"See, Remus knows." James says, nodding slightly.

**A ray of wintry sunlight fell across the classroom, illuminating Lupin's gray hairs and the lines on his young face. **

"Harry." Remus groans once more when everyone laughs as Harry shrugs.

"What? You went through eleven years of war, as a werewolf, lost your friends, and thought you'd been betrayed. You might be in your thirties, but well, it's okay to look a little old, what with what you went through," He replies, still shrugging every now and then as Remus gaps at him in surprise.

"**Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel their presence, though they can't see them. Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the Dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself — soul-less and evil. You'll be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life. And the worst that happened to you, Harry, is enough to make anyone fall off their broom. You have nothing to feel ashamed of." **

"Damn right!" Sirius mutters, pounding his fist on his knee.

"**When they get near me —" Harry stared at Lupin's desk, his throat tight. "I can hear Voldemort murdering my mum." **

**Lupin made a sudden motion with his arm as though to grip Harry's shoulder, but thought better of it. **

"You should've."

"He didn't know me that well,"

"I would've appreciated it."

"No, you would've been awkward." Remus laughs at Harry's blush.

**There was a moment's silence, then — **

"**Why did they have to come to the match?" said Harry bitterly. **

"**They're getting hungry," said Lupin coolly, shutting his briefcase with a snap. "Dumbledore won't let them into the school, so their supply of human prey has dried up… I don't think they could resist the large crowd around the Quidditch field. All that excitement… emotions running high… it was their idea of a feast." **

"You sound pissed." Lily sighs, nearly crying over what's happened.

"**Azkaban must be terrible," Harry muttered. Lupin nodded grimly.**

"How'd you do it?" Remus asks, as Sirius just shrugs and grimaces.

"**The fortress is set on a tiny island, way out to sea, but they don't need walls and water to keep the prisoners in, not when they're all trapped inside their own heads, incapable of a single cheery thought. Most of them go mad within weeks." **

"**But Sirius Black escaped from them," Harry said slowly. "He got away…" **

**Lupin's briefcase slipped from the desk; he had to stoop quickly to catch it. **

"Clearly, you're having problems with your emotions." Sirius mutters, snorting.

"**Yes," he said, straightening up, "Black must have found a way to fight them. I wouldn't have believed it possible… Dementors are supposed to drain a wizard of his powers if he is left with them too long…"**

"I will always be curious as to how you did it," Remus mutters.

"_**You **_**made that Dementor on the train back off," said Harry suddenly.**

"Nice observational skills, Potter." Someone snorts.

"**There are — certain defenses one can use," said Lupin. "But there was only one Dementor on the train. The more there are, the more difficult it becomes to resist." **

"**What defenses?" said Harry at once. "Can you teach me?" **

"Your thirst for knowledge is incredible, Potter." Minerva mutters, eyes wide as she wonders why the young lad doesn't show this kind of love for learning in class.

"**I don't pretend to be an expert at fighting Dementors, Harry — quite the contrary…" **

"**But if the Dementors come to another Quidditch match, I need to be able to fight them —" **

**Lupin looked into Harry's determined face, hesitated, then said, "Well… all right. I'll try and help. But it'll have to wait until next term, I'm afraid. I have a lot to do before the holidays. I chose a very inconvenient time to fall ill." **

"Remus," Lily growls as Remus flinches slightly.

"Your mom always scares us." Sirius mutters as Harry grins.

**What with the promise of anti-Dementor lessons from Lupin, the thought that he might never have to hear his mother's death again, and the fact that Ravenclaw flattened Hufflepuff in their Quidditch match at the end of November, Harry's mood took a definite upturn. **

"Well, that's nice."

"Kind of grim—"

"But nice all the same," the twins state.

**Gryffindor were not out of the running after all, although they could not afford to lose another match. Wood became repossessed of his manic energy, and worked his team as hard as ever in the chilly haze of rain that persisted into December. Harry saw no hint of a Dementor within the grounds. Dumbledore's anger seemed to be keeping them at their stations at the entrances. **

**Two weeks before the end of the term, the sky lightened suddenly to a dazzling, opaline white and the muddy grounds were revealed one morning covered in glittering frost. Inside the castle, there was a buzz of Christmas in the air.**

"The best time to be at the school," Someone whispers as people nod in agreement.

**Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, had already decorated his classroom with shimmering lights that turned out to be real, fluttering fairies. The students were all happily discussing their plans for the holidays. Both Ron and Hermione had decided to remain at Hogwarts, and though Ron said it was because he couldn't stand two weeks with Percy, and Hermione insisted she needed to use the library, Harry wasn't fooled; they were doing it to keep him company, and he was very grateful. **

"Still am." Harry grins.

**To everyone's delight except Harry's, there was to be another Hogsmeade trip on the very last weekend of the term. **

"Poor kiddo." Someone sighs.

"**We can do all our Christmas shopping there!" said Hermione. "Mum and Dad would really love those Toothflossing Stringmints from Honeydukes!" **

"Why would they love those?" James snorts as Harry laughs.

"They're dentists."

"Dentists. You have dentist parents? Good grief, how am I –"

"At least they're not overweight, overbearing siblings." Lily snaps as James holds her and whispers to her silently soothing her.

**Resigned to the fact that he would be the only third year staying behind again, Harry borrowed a copy of **_**Which Broomstick **_**from Wood, and decided to spend the day reading up on the different makes. He had been riding one of the school brooms at team practice, an ancient Shooting Star, which was very slow and jerky; he definitely needed a new broom of his own. **

"Harry,"

"I know." Harry interrupts Hermione, kissing her on the cheek quickly and blushing when everyone aww's.

**On the Saturday morning of the Hogsmeade trip, Harry bid good-bye to Ron and Hermione, who were wrapped in cloaks and scarves, then turned up the marble staircase alone, and headed back toward Gryffindor Tower. Snow had started to fall outside the windows, and the castle was very still and quiet. **

"YES!" George interrupts, causing Fred to laugh.

"**Psst — Harry!" He turned, halfway along the third-floor corridor, to see Fred and George peering out at him from behind a statue of a humpbacked, one-eyed witch. **

"YES!" James shouts, jumping up and down in excitement, causing Lily to laugh and pull him back down onto the couch.

"**What are you doing?" said Harry curiously. "How come you're not going to Hogsmeade?" **

"Valid questions." Minerva interrupts, arching her eyebrow and worrying slightly.

"**We've come to give you a bit of festive cheer before we go," said Fred, with a mysterious wink. "Come in here…" **

"Sounds kind of dirty." Someone laughs as everyone else chuckles.

**He nodded toward an empty classroom to the left of the one-eyed statue. Harry followed Fred and George inside. George closed the door quietly and then turned, beaming, to look at Harry. **

"**Early Christmas present for you, Harry," he said. **

"We needed to give him something. He's our honorary brother!" Fred interrupts himself, grinning.

**Fred pulled something from inside his cloak with a flourish and laid it on one of the desks. It was a large, square, very worn piece of parchment with nothing written on it. Harry, suspecting one of Fred and George's jokes, stared at it. **

By this time, James was jumping up and down in his seat, excitement pouring off of him in waves.

"**What's that supposed to be?" **

"**This, Harry, is the secret of our success," said George, patting the parchment fondly. **

"And the beginning of ours," Remus interrupts wistfully as Sirius sighs and James continues to bounce.

"**It's a wrench, giving it to you," said Fred, "but we decided last night, your need's greater than ours." **

"Fred, your idea. Said you had a feeling it belonged to him." George interrupts rolling his eyes before continuing, "Like anything would've happened if it had and we hadn't given the map to him."

"Actually," James says before biting his lip and continuing, "I'll tell you later."

"**Anyway, we know it by heart," said George. "We bequeath it to you. We don't really need it anymore." **

"**And what do I need with a bit of old parchment?" said Harry. **

James gasped at this, his hands going to his heart and Lily rolled her eyes before smirking slightly.

"**A bit of old parchment!" said Fred, closing his eyes with a grimace as though Harry had mortally offended him. **

"He had" Fred exclaims, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

**- "Explain, George." **

"**Well… when we were in our first year, Harry — young, carefree, and innocent —" **

**Harry snorted. He doubted whether Fred and George had ever been innocent. **

" — **well, more innocent than we are now — we got into a spot of bother with Filch." **

"**We let off a Dungbomb in the corridor and it upset him for some reason —" **

"**So he hauled us off to his office and started threatening us with the usual —" **

"— **detention —" **

"— **disembowelment —" **

"— **and we couldn't help noticing a drawer in one of his filing cabinets marked **_**Confiscated and Highly Dangerous**_**." **

"I am so proud of you and I don't even know you." James grins, still bouncing.

"**Don't tell me —" said Harry, starting to grin. **

"With a grin? Why on earth were you grinning?" Molly exclaims, eyes wide as Harry rolls his.

"Believe it or not, Mrs. Weasley, I'm a lot like Fred and George than you think!" He states, smirking at his two twin friends. James whoops at this as Sirius grins and Remus sighs before noticing Minerva's pale face and laughing.

"**Well, what would you've done?" said Fred. "George caused a diversion by dropping another Dungbomb, I whipped the drawer open, and grabbed — **_**t**__**his**_**." **

"How did Filch get a hold of it, though?" James groans, before shaking his head and sighing.

"Better question, how long did it take for you to crack it?" He grins as the twins look at each other in confusion.

"**It's not as bad as it sounds, you know," said George. "We don't reckon Filch ever found out how to work it. He probably suspected what it was, though, or he wouldn't have confiscated it." **

"**And you know how to work it?" **

"Well?" James sighs, bouncing continuously.

"**Oh yes," said Fred, smirking. "This little beauty's taught us more than all the teachers in this school."**

"Well, hey!" Many of the professors exclaim, a little surprised.

"**You're winding me up," said Harry, looking at the ragged old bit of parchment. **

"Did you want it to be amazing?" George interrupts as Harry grins.

"Yep."

"**Oh, are we?" said George. **

**He took out his wand, touched the parchment lightly, and said, "**_**I solemnly swear that I am up to no good**_**." **

At this point, James went completely ballistic, his bounces more exaggerated than before. He had a wide grin on his face, kept rocking back and forth and muttering about how they could've possibly figured out the code to get in. All the while, both Fred and George were looking at him completely confused and wondering what he could have meant about the password.

"James, calm down." Sirius laughs, shaking his head at Remus, who had his eyes wide and filled with light.

"We're going to continue reading now, right Fred?" George states as Fred nods his head and grabs the book once more from the table he put it down on, still wondering why Mr. Potter seemed to be acting so weird.

**And at once, thin ink lines began to spread like a spider's web from the point that George's wand had touched. They joined each other, they crisscrossed, they fanned into every corner of the parchment; then words began to blossom across the top, great, curly green words, that proclaimed: **

_**Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs **_

_**Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present **_

_**THE MARAUDER'S MAP **_

James did another little cheer here, as did Remus and Sirius, causing Fred to stop reading completely and arch his eyebrow before looking at smirking Harry.

**It was a map showing every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. But the truly remarkable thing were the tiny ink dots moving around it, each labeled with a name in minuscule writing. Astounded, Harry bent over it. A labeled dot in the top left corner showed that Professor Dumbledore was pacing his study; the caretaker's cat, Mrs. Norris, was prowling the second floor; and Peeves the Poltergeist was currently bouncing around the trophy room. And as Harry's eyes traveled up and down the familiar corridors, he noticed something else. **

"Wait, wait wait," Harry interrupts, turning completely towards Fred and George.

"When did you two stop using the map?" He questions, a slight glare in his eyes, causing the twins to look at each other in confusion.

"Uh, probably around our… third year?"

"Maybe our fourth—"

"Why?" The twins question, their eyebrows arched. Harry stayed quiet for a few seconds, looking at Hermione briefly and then Sirius for an even briefer amount of time before looking back at the twins.

"So then why didn't you see Pettigrew's name on the map? I mean, you know who he was and is, and he definitely would've been seen on the map – I mean, I saw him on the map, so why didn't you?" He questions, finishing with a deep breath before looking at the twins with another small glare.

Fred and George both opened and closed their mouths in surprise before turning to look at one another and then back at Harry.

"Well, you're right, we must've. But…we don't actually remember seeing." They reply with confusion before James stands up and stomps over to the twins and looking them in the eye before turning straight around and going to Pettigrew, who was beginning to shake.

"What. The. Fuck. Did. You. Do?" James growls while bending his body down to Pettigrew's level and begins to snarl. Pettigrew shakes a little bit more and it isn't until a few minutes later that Lily has come down to bring James back to their couch.

"If you've done anything to hurt those twins, I will hurt you!" She snaps, causing Pettigrew to flinch.

**This map showed a set of passages he had never entered. And many of them seemed to lead — **

"Hogsmeade," James interrupts, trying to get himself into a good mood once again.

"**Right into Hogsmeade," said Fred, tracing one of them with his finger. "There are seven in all. Now, Filch knows about these four" — he pointed them out — **

"What? No!" James exclaims, his eyes wide and sad.

**- "but we're sure we're the only ones who know about **_**these**_**. Don't bother with the one behind the mirror on the fourth floor. We used it until last winter, but it's caved in — completely blocked. And we don't reckon anyone's ever used this one, because the Whomping Willow's planted right over the entrance. But this one here, this one leads right into the cellar of Honeydukes. We've used it loads of times. And as you might've noticed, the entrance is right outside this room, through that one-eyed old crone's hump." **

"Siri, please tell me they're not—" James begins only to look up at Sirius and see him nodding. "Damn it."

"**Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," sighed George, patting the heading of the map. "We owe them so much." **

"**Noble men, working tirelessly to help a new generation of lawbreakers," said Fred solemnly. **

Harry smirks at this sentence before shaking his head and laughing a little at Sirius, who smirked in return.

"**Right," said George briskly. "Don't forget to wipe it after you've used it —" **

"— **or anyone can read it," Fred said warningly. **

"**Just tap it again and say, 'Mischief managed!' And it'll go blank." **

"Seriously, how did you manage to know it so well?!" Lily interrupts, shaking her head slightly.

"**So, young Harry," said Fred, in an uncanny impersonation of Percy, "mind you behave yourself." **

"**See you in Honeydukes," said George, winking. **

"We knew he wouldn't." Fred grins as Harry smirks.

**They left the room, both smirking in a satisfied sort of way. Harry stood there, gazing at the miraculous map. He watched the tiny ink Mrs. Norris turn left and pause to sniff at something on the floor. If Filch really didn't know… he wouldn't have to pass the Dementors at all… **

**But even as he stood there, flooded with excitement, something Harry had once heard Mr. Weasley say came floating out of his memory. **

_**Never trust anything that can think for itself, if you can't see where it keeps its brain. **_

"Except you can trust this!" James groans, thumping his head in annoyance as Harry grins.

**This map was one of those dangerous magical objects Mr. Weasley had been warning against… **_**Aids for Magical Mischief Makers**_**… but then, Harry reasoned, he only wanted to use it to get into Hogsmeade, it wasn't as though he wanted to steal anything or attack anyone… and Fred and George had been using it for years without anything horrible happening… **

"SEE!" James shouts, causing Lily to roll her eyes and put a silencing spell on her husband.

**Harry traced the secret passage to Honeydukes with his finger. **

**Then, quite suddenly, as though following orders, he rolled up the map, stuffed it inside his robes, and hurried to the door of the classroom. He opened it a couple of inches. There was no one outside. Very carefully, he edged out of the room and behind the statue of the one-eyed witch. **

"I'm actually quite good at sneaking out of places." Harry says, nodding his head as Sirius snorts.

"When you live with me you won't be."

"You mean I can still live with you?" Harry asked, his eyes wide. Sirius turned towards his godson and stroke his hair slowly.

"You will never not be able to live with me, pup." He replies, smiling sadly.

**What did he have to do? He pulled out the map again and saw to his astonishment, that a new ink figure had appeared upon it, labeled 'Harry Potter'. This figure was standing exactly where the real Harry was standing, about halfway down the third-floor corridor. **

"Yep, that's how it works." Sirius grins.

**Harry watched carefully. His little ink-self appeared to be tapping the witch with his minute wand. Harry quickly took out his real wand and tapped the statue. Nothing happened. He looked back at the map. The tiniest speech bubble had appeared next to his figure. The word inside said, '**_**Dissendium**_**.'**

"You guys got it to actually help you out?" Lily says in awe, impressed by her husband's skill.

"**Dissendium!" Harry whispered, tapping the stone witch again. **

"Atta boy!" James whispers, pride shining in his eyes.

**At once, the statue's hump opened wide enough to admit a fairly thin person. Harry glanced quickly up and down the corridor, then tucked the map away again, hoisted himself into the hole headfirst, and pushed himself forward. **

"YES!" James shouts.

**He slid a considerable way down what felt like a stone slide, then landed on cold, damp earth. He stood up, looking around. It was pitch dark. He held up his wand, muttered, "**_**Lumos**_**!" and saw that he was in a very narrow, low, earthy passageway. He raised the map, tapped it with the tip of his wand, and muttered, "Mischief managed!" The map went blank at once. He folded it carefully, tucked it inside his robes, then, heart beating fast, both excited and apprehensive, he set off. **

"You were nervous?" Remus laughs as Harry blushes and shrugs.

**The passage twisted and turned, more like the burrow of a giant rabbit than anything else. Harry hurried along it, stumbling now and then on the uneven floor, holding his wand out in front of him. **

**It took ages, but Harry had the thought of Honeydukes to sustain him. After what felt like an hour, the passage began to rise. Panting, Harry sped up, his face hot, his feet very cold. **

"Yeah, the passage itself isn't rather comfortable." George mutters, shivering slightly.

**Ten minutes later, he came to the foot of some worn stone steps, which rose out of sight above him. Careful not to make any noise, Harry began to climb. A hundred steps, two hundred steps, he lost count as he climbed, watching his feet… then, without warning, his head hit something hard. **

"Yeah, that's always annoying." Sirius mutters, rubbing his head in reminiscence as James and Remus laugh.

**It seemed to be a trapdoor. Harry stood there, massaging the top of his head, listening. He couldn't hear any sounds above him. Very slowly, he pushed the trapdoor open and peered over the edge. **

"You should've brought your cloak." Someone snorts as Harry smirks slightly.

**He was in a cellar, which was full of wooden crates and boxes. Harry climbed out of the trapdoor and replaced it — it blended so perfectly with the dusty floor that it was impossible to tell it was there. Harry crept slowly toward the wooden staircase that led upstairs. Now he could definitely hear voices, not to mention the tinkle of a bell and the opening and shutting of a door. **

"Oh Lilykins, he's so close." James whispers, rubbing his hands together while smiling.

**Wondering what he ought to do, he suddenly heard a door open much closer at hand; somebody was about to come downstairs. **

"Oh god, run!" Lily groans, shaking her head at how much her son truly is like his father.

"**And get another box of Jelly Slugs, dear, they've nearly cleaned us out —" said a woman's voice. **

**A pair of feet was coming down the staircase. Harry leapt behind an enormous crate and waited for the footsteps to pass. He heard the man shifting boxes against the opposite wall. He might not get another chance — **

"GO!" George interrupts, his own body in a bouncing motion as Fred laughs at him.

"What? We never actually learned how it went." George states.

**Quickly and silently, Harry dodged out from his hiding place and climbed the stairs; looking back, he saw an enormous backside and shiny bald head, buried in a box. Harry reached the door at the top of the stairs, slipped through it, and found himself behind the counter of Honeydukes — he ducked, crept sideways, and then straightened up. **

"Damn, you're lucky Potter."

**Honeydukes was so crowded with Hogwarts students that no one looked twice at Harry. He edged among them, looking around, and suppressed a laugh as he imagined the look that would spread over Dudley's piggy face if he could see where Harry was now. **

"Oh man. That's…. I need to see that." Lily giggles, as Molly turns to her with a slight glare and Snape turns to James with a major glare for changing the woman he loves.

**There were shelves upon shelves of the most succulent-looking sweets imaginable. Creamy chunks of nougat, shimmering pink squares of coconut ice, fat, honey-colored toffees; hundreds of different kinds of chocolate in neat rows; there was a large barrel of Every Flavor Beans, and another of Fizzing Whizbees, the levitating sherbet balls that Ron had mentioned; along yet another wall were 'Special Effects' — sweets: Droobles Best Blowing Gum (which filled a room with bluebell-colored bubbles that refused to pop for days), the strange, splintery Toothflossing Stringmints, tiny black Pepper Imps ('breathe fire for your friends!'), Ice Mice ('hear your teeth chatter and squeak!'), peppermint creams shaped like toads ('hop realistically in the stomach!'), fragile sugar-spun quills, and exploding bonbons. **

"Oh God, now I want some of all that," Remus groans as many people turn to him in surprise. "What? I have a sweet tooth." He shrugs.

**Harry squeezed himself through a crowd of sixth years and saw a sign hanging in the farthest corner of the shop (UNUSUAL TASTES). Ron and Hermione were standing underneath it, examining a tray of blood-flavored lollipops. Harry sneaked up behind them. **

Hermione snorted at this, shaking her head at the remembered conversation.

"**Ugh, no, Harry won't want one of those, they're for vampires, I expect," Hermione was saying. **

"**How about these?" said Ron, shoving a jar of Cockroach Clusters under Hermione's nose. **

"Definitely not." Sirius mutters, grimacing as Harry smiles.

"**Definitely not," said Harry. **

**Ron nearly dropped the jar. **

"No shit!" He snorts.

"Ronald!"

"Not apologizing, mum."

"_**Harry**_**!" squealed Hermione. **

"Squealed like a pig or squealed like a girl with a crush?" James laughs while Hermione giggles lightly and blushes and Harry looks at her in confusion.

"Did you like me back then?"

"Yes." She says, smiling.

"**What are you doing here? How — how did you —?" **

"**Wow!" said Ron, looking very impressed, "you've learned to Apparate!" **

"Oh my god." Lily moans, thumping her head on the table as James snorts.

"You can't apparated on the grounds." Someone says in slight annoyance.

"'**Course I haven't," said Harry. He dropped his voice so that none of the sixth years could hear him and told them all about the Marauder's Map. **

"**How come Fred and George never gave it to **_**me**_**!" said Ron, outraged. "I'm their brother!" **

"Harry's the heir!" Remus whispers as Fred watches with his eyes widening slightly.

"**But Harry isn't going to keep it!" said Hermione, as though the idea were ludicrous. "He's going to hand it in to Professor McGonagall, aren't you, Harry?" **

"He better not!" Lily whispers, surprising herself and nearly everyone else.

"**No, I'm not!" said Harry. **

"**Are you mad?" said Ron, goggling at Hermione. "Hand in something that good?" **

"I can see the technicality what with me being out to kill Harry, but well," Sirius trails off, shrugging.

"**If I hand it in, I'll have to say where I got it! Filch would know Fred and George had nicked it!" **

"A very good point!" Someone whispers.

"**But what about Sirius Black?" Hermione hissed. "He could be using one of the passages on that map to get into the castle! The teachers have got to know!" **

"I'm sure they already did." Someone else shrugs.

"**He can't be getting in through a passage," said Harry quickly. "There are seven secret tunnels on the map, right? Fred and George reckon Filch already knows about four of them. And of the other three — one of them's caved in, so no one can get through it. One of them's got the Whomping Willow planted over the entrance, so you can't get out of it. And the one I just came through — well — it's really hard to see the entrance to it down in the cellar — so unless he knew it was there —" **

A few people snorted at this sentence, while shaking their heads at where Harry might go with his thoughts.

**Harry hesitated. What if Black did know the passage was there? Ron, however, cleared his throat significantly, and pointed to a notice pasted on the inside of the sweetshop door. **

"Oh, I hated those signs."

_**BY ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC **_

_**Customers are reminded that until further notice, Dementors will be patrolling the streets of Hogsmeade every night after sundown. This measure has been put in place for the safety of Hogsmeade residents and will be lifted upon the recapture of Sirius Black. It is therefore advisable that you complete your shopping well before nightfall. **_

_**Merry Christmas! **_

"**See?" said Ron quietly. "I'd like to see Black try and break into Honeydukes with Dementors swarming all over the village. Anyway, Hermione, the Honeydukes owners would hear a break-in, wouldn't they? They live over the shop!" **

"**Yes, but — but —" Heroine seemed to be struggling to find another problem. "Look, Harry still shouldn't be coming into Hogsmeade. He hasn't got a signed form! If anyone finds out, he'll be in so much trouble! And it's not nightfall yet — what if Sirius Black turns up today? Now?" **

"Nope, not for a little while, I think." Sirius whispers, tilting his head.

"**He'd have a job spotting Harry in this," said Ron, nodding through the mullioned windows at the thick, swirling snow. "Come on, Hermione, it's Christmas. Harry deserves a break." **

**Hermione bit her lip, looking extremely worried. **

"I don't want you dying." Hermione says tightly, a flush on her cheeks.

"**Are you going to report me?" Harry asked her, grinning. **

"Oh merlin, the flirting between you two!" Lily giggles.

"**Oh — of course not — but honestly, Harry —" **

"**Seen the Fizzing Whizbees, Harry?" said Ron, grabbing him and leading him over to their barrel. "And the Jelly Slugs? And the Acid Pops? Fred gave me one of those when I was seven — it burnt a hole right through my tongue. I remember Mum walloping him with her broomstick." **

"You walloped him? You walloped him? He was what, 9 years old? You don't wallop a nine year old with a broomstick." James mutters, his face showing shock and a little disgusted.

**Ron stared broodingly into the Acid Pop box. "Reckon Fred'd take a bite of Cockroach Cluster if I told him they were peanuts?" **

"Depends how busy I was when you presented them to me." Fred grins.

**When Ron and Hermione had paid for all their sweets, the three of them left Honeydukes for the blizzard outside. **

**Hogsmeade looked like a Christmas card; the little thatched cottages and shops were all covered in a layer of crisp snow; there were holly wreaths on the doors and strings of enchanted candles hanging in the trees. **

"Sounds so pretty." Luna smiles.

**Harry shivered; unlike the other two, he didn't have his cloak. They headed up the street, heads bowed against the wind, Ron and Hermione shouting through their scarves. **

"**That's the post office —" **

"**Zonko's is up there —" **

"**We could go up to the Shrieking Shack —" **

"**Tell you what," said Ron, his teeth chattering, "shall we go for a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks?" Harry was more than willing; the wind was fierce and his hands were freezing, so they crossed the road, and in a few minutes were entering the tiny inn. **

"Ah, butterbeer." James sighs in remembrance.

**It was extremely crowded, noisy, warm, and smoky. A curvy sort of woman with a pretty face was serving a bunch of rowdy warlocks up at the bar. **

"Oh, sweet Rosmerta," James grins, his eyes going wide. "Man, all I had to do was flash her my charming smile, tell her how smoking hot she looked and then I got a free drink. God, what I wouldn't do to have her stroke my—"

"JAMES!" Sirius shouts, laughing to get James to snap out of it.

"What?"

"Jealous wife to your left." Remus grins. James looks to his left quickly with a grin and red cheeks.

"Stroke my ego, dear, stroke my ego. We all know it was you I wanted growing up and I wouldn't dare mess that up now that you finally love me." James grins, kissing Lily slightly, causing her to laugh and swat at him with a roll of her eyes.

"If you had continued, it'd be the couch for you."

"I know."

"**That's Madam Rosmerta," said Ron. "I'll get the drinks, shall I?" he added, going slightly red. **

"He had a crush on her," Harry snorts, having enjoyed his parents and their so-called bickering.

**Harry and Hermione made their way to the back of the room, where there was a small, vacant table between the window and a handsome Christmas tree, which stood next to the fireplace. **

"That sounds nice and cosy." James smiles, being serious for once.

**Ron came back five minutes later, carrying three foaming tankards of hot butterbeer. **

"**Merry Christmas!" he said happily, raising his tankard. **

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" The twins shout, causing some people to roll their eyes.

**Harry drank deeply. It was the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted and seemed to heat every bit of him from the inside. **

"Oy, you put alcohol in it?" Ron grins sheepishly before surprising as Harry laughs.

**A sudden breeze ruffled his hair. The door of the Three Broomsticks had opened again. Harry looked over the rim of his tankard and choked. **

"Oh no, why?" Lily groans as James flinches.

**Professors McGonagall and Flitwick had just entered the pub with a flurry of snowflakes, shortly followed by Hagrid, who was deep in conversation with a portly man in a lime-green bowler hat and a pinstriped cloak — Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic.**

Minerva's eyes went wide before they rounded on the 'golden trio'.

"You heard that whole conversation?"

"Yes."

"Crap."

**In an instant, Ron and Hermione had both placed hands on the top of Harry's head and forced him off his stool and under the table.**

"The things he could've done under that ta—"

"JAMES!" Surprisingly, Sirius shouts, causing everyone to look at him in surprise.

"What?"

"No. Too young, James." He says, causing James to arch an eyebrow and Lily to grin.

**Dripping with butterbeer and crouching out of sight, Harry clutched his empty tankard and watched the teachers' and Fudge's feet move toward the bar, pause, then turn and walk right toward him. **

**Somewhere above him, Hermione whispered, "**_**Mobiliarbus**_**!" **

"Clever girl," Lily smiles, wondering what the group will be overhearing.

**The Christmas tree beside their table rose a few inches off the ground, drifted sideways, and landed with a soft thump right in front of their table, hiding them from view. Staring through the dense lower branches, Harry saw four sets of chair legs move back from the table right beside theirs, then heard the grunts and sighs of the teachers and minister as they sat down. **

**Next he saw another pair of feet, wearing sparkly turquoise high heels, and heard a woman's voice. **

"Those shoes do not surprise me." Someone laughs, curious as to what's going to happen.

"**A small gillywater —" **

"Gillywater?"

"**Mine," said Professor McGonagall's voice. **

"**Four pints of mulled mead —" **

"Hagrid?!"

"**Ta, Rosmerta," said Hagrid. **

"**A cherry syrup and soda with ice and umbrella —" **

"Fruity and girly."

"**Mmm!" said Professor Flitwick, smacking his lips. **

"**So you'll be the red currant rum, Minister." **

"So many things could be said about this," Remus snorts.

"**Thank you, Rosmerta, m'dear," said Fudge's voice. "Lovely to see you again, I must say. Have one yourself, won't you? Come and join us…" **

"**Well, thank you very much, Minister." **

"What the hell kind of Minister allows a barmaid to join him on conversation?" Lily whispers, disgustedly as Fudge blushes and glares.

**Harry watched the glittering heels march away and back again. His heart was pounding uncomfortably in his throat. Why hadn't it occurred to him that this was the last weekend of term for the teachers too? And how long were they going to sit there? He needed time to sneak back into Honeydukes if he wanted to return to school tonight… Hermione's leg gave a nervous twitch next to him. **

"I was pretty much having the same thoughts you were."

"All I can focus on is how close you two are," Ron snorts.

"**So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, Minister?" came Madam Rosmerta's voice. **

**Harry saw the lower part of Fudge's thick body twist in his chair as though he were checking for eavesdroppers. **

Many students snorted at this sentence, shaking their heads.

**Then he said in a quiet voice, "What else, m'dear, but Sirius Black? I daresay you heard what happened up at the school at Halloween?" **

"**I did hear a rumor," admitted Madam Rosmerta. **

"**Did you tell the whole pub, Hagrid?" said Professor McGonagall exasperatedly. **

"Not the best thing to assume, Minerva." A professor mutters

"**Do you think Black's still in the area, Minister?" whispered Madam Rosmerta. **

"**I'm sure of it," said Fudge shortly**

**. **

"**You know that the Dementors have searched the whole village twice?" said Madam Rosmerta, a slight edge to her voice. "Scared all my customers away… It's very bad for business, Minister." **

"**Rosmerta, dear, I don't like them any more than you do," said Fudge uncomfortably. "Necessary precaution… unfortunate, but there you are… I've just met some of them. They're in a fury against Dumbledore — he won't let them inside the castle grounds." **

"Thank Merlin for that," Sirius murmurs, shuddering.

"**I should think not," said Professor McGonagall sharply. "How are we supposed to teach with those horrors floating around?" **

"Another valid point."

"**Hear, hear!" squeaked tiny Professor Flitwick, whose feet were dangling a foot from the ground. **

Many people snorted at that thought.

"**All the same," demurred Fudge, "they are here to protect you all from something much worse… We all know what Black's capable of…"**

"Sirius isn't capable of –"

"Black is capable of murd-"

"And you're not capable of maturing the fuck up!" Lily snaps with a snarl before going over to sit next to Hermione to calm down.

"You're seriously leaving me next to him?" James squeaks, eyes wide.

"**Do you know, I still have trouble believing it," said Madam Rosmerta thoughtfully. "Of all the people to go over to the Dark Side, Sirius Black was the last I'd have thought… I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts. If you'd told me then what he was going to become, I'd have said you'd had too much mead." **

"And let alone the fact that he ran away from his home for the reasons he apparently killed us," Lily snaps, still angry and bitter.

"**You don't know the half of it, Rosmerta," said Fudge gruffly. "The worst he did isn't widely known." **

"The worst?" James grimaces, looking at his best friend in wonderment.

"**The worst?" said Madam Rosmerta, her voice alive with curiosity. "Worse than murdering all those poor people, you mean?" **

"**I certainly do," said Fudge. **

"**I can't believe that. What could possibly be worse?" **

"**You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta," murmured Professor McGonagall. "Do you remember who his best friend was?"**

"Who wouldn't remember?" Peter snorts jealously, while many people close to Harry snarl in response.

"**Naturally," said Madam Rosmerta, with a small laugh. "Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here — ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!" **

"Ah, she remembers –" James began only to stop at his wife's angry look.

**Harry dropped his tankard with a loud clunk. Ron kicked him. **

"Well, that's not exactly nice." Lily snorts, shaking her head.

"**Precisely," said Professor McGonagall. "Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright, of course — exceptionally bright, in fact — but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers —" **

"Awh, we're not up there?" The twins groan.

"**I dunno," chuckled Hagrid. "Fred and George Weasley could give 'em a run fer their money." **

"OY! Prank wars! Later!" James shouts, slamming his fist as the twins smirk at one another before looking to Harry.

"I AM SWITZERLAND I WILL HELP WHOEVER, WHENEVER." He shouts before grinning.

"Shit," Sirius laughs.

"**You'd have thought Black and Potter were brothers!" chimed in Professor Flitwick. **

"We basically were." Sirius sighs.

"**Inseparable!" **

"**Of course they were," said Fudge. "Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Black was best man when James married Lily. Then they named him godfather to Harry. Harry has no idea, of course. You can imagine how the idea would torment him."**

"Oh god, what a way to find out." Lily flinches as James grimaces and Sirius breathes deeply, rubbing soothing circles on Harry's back for himself.

"We're going to be getting to the parts I won't like, eh?" He questions as Harry nods his head.

"**Because Black turned out to be in league with You-Know-Who?" whispered Madam Rosmerta. **

"**Worse even than that, m'dear…" Fudge dropped his voice and proceeded in a sort of low rumble. "Not many people are aware that the Potters knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of useful spies."**

"Wait a minute." Harry says, sitting up properly as Hermione and Sirius turn to him.

"We know Snape was one – but what if Pettigrew was one? What if Dumbledore knew the whole time that Si—" Harry chokes off a sob, not wanting to think of that as Lily glares at her old headmaster and James looks on in confusion.

**One of them tipped him off, and he alerted James and Lily at once. He advised them to go into hiding. Well, of course, You-Know-Who wasn't an easy person to hide from. Dumbledore told them that their best chance was the Fidelius Charm." **

"**How does that work?" said Madam Rosmerta, breathless with interest. Professor Flitwick cleared his throat. **

"**An immensely complex spell," he said squeakily, "involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find — unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as the Secret-Keeper refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lily and James were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting room window!" **

"**So Black was the Potters' Secret-Keeper?" whispered Madam Rosmerta. **

"NO!" Harry shouts as Sirius holds him back to not let him pounce.

"**Naturally," said Professor McGonagall. "James Potter told Dumbledore that Black would die rather than tell where they were, that Black was planning to go into hiding himself… and yet, Dumbledore remained worried. I remember him offering to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper himself." **

"**He suspected Black?" gasped Madam Rosmerta. **

"**He was sure that somebody close to the Potters had been keeping You-Know-Who informed of their movements," said Professor McGonagall darkly. "Indeed, he had suspected for some time that someone on our side had turned traitor and was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who." **

"**But James Potter insisted on using Black?" **

"**He did," said Fudge heavily. "And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed —" **

"**Black betrayed them?" breathed Madam Rosmerta. **

"NO!" Harry shouts once more as many people flinch and wonder what really happen to cause Harry to scream so much.

"**He did indeed. Black was tired of his double-agent role, he was ready to declare his support openly for You-Know-Who, and he seems to have planned this for the moment of the Potters' death. But, as we all know, You-Know-Who met his downfall in little Harry Potter. Powers gone, horribly weakened, he fled. And this left Black in a very nasty position indeed. His master had fallen at the very moment when he, Black, had shown his true colors as a traitor. He had no choice but to run for it —" **

"C'mon, is he not smarter than that?" Sirius grumbles the same time James growls in annoyance.

"**Filthy, stinkin' turncoat!" Hagrid said, so loudly that half the bar went quiet. **

"Hagrid." Minerva sighs, rolling her eyes slightly in bemusement.

"**Shh!" said Professor McGonagall. **

"**I met him!" growled Hagrid. "I musta bin the last ter see him before he killed all them people! It was me that rescued Harry from Lily an' James's house after they was killed! Jus' got him outta the ruins, poor little thing, with a great slash across his forehead, an' his parents dead… an' Sirius Black turns up, on that flyin' motorbike he used ter ride. Never occurred ter me what he was doin' there. I didn' know he'd bin Lily an' James's Secret-Keeper. Thought he'd jus' heard the news o' You-Know-Who's attack an' come ter see what he could do. White an' shakin', he was. An' yeh know what I did? I COMFORTED THE MURDERIN' TRAITOR!" Hagrid roared. **

"Wait, that's not right. When I got there, Hagrid was nowhere in sight. It wasn't until I was leaving that Hagrid arrived." Sirius mutters, a look of confusion on his face, making Hagrid just as confused.

"**Hagrid, please!" said Professor McGonagall. "Keep your voice down!" **

"**How was I ter know he wasn' upset abou' Lily an' James? It was You-Know-Who he cared abou'! An' then he says, 'Give Harry ter me, Hagrid, I'm his godfather, I'll look after him —' Ha! But I'd had me orders from Dumbledore, an' I told Black no, Dumbledore said Harry was ter go ter his aunt an' uncle's. Black argued, but in the end he gave in. Told me ter take his motorbike ter get Harry there. 'I won't need it anymore,' he says. **

"Okay, yeah, pretty much. But it wasn't that simple." Sirius snarls, upset that the book was making it seem like he never cared about Harry.

"Like I said, I arrived first, managed to find Harry and had taken him out of the horrible house.

"**I shoulda known there was somethin' fishy goin' on then. He loved that motorbike, what was he givin' it ter me for? Why wouldn' he need it anymore? Fact was, it was too easy ter trace. Dumbledore knew he'd bin the Potters' Secret-Keeper. Black knew he was goin' ter have ter run fer it that night, knew it was a matter o' hours before the Ministry was after him."**

"Sirius, what _were_ you thinking?" James questions, biting his lip in thought.

"I planned to be right back. I was gonna kill the real traitor and then go get Harry and go to the Ministry. I was going to show them my memory of what happened.

"But what changed?"

"Hagrid. He did tell me it was Dumbledore's orders, and then I knew." Sirius says, shrugging.

"_**But what if I'd given Harry to him, eh? **_**I bet he'd've pitched him off the bike halfway out ter seat. His bes' friends' son! But when a wizard goes over ter the Dark Side, there's nothin' and no one that matters to em anymore…" **

Sirius remained quiet at this little paragraph, paling as it had gone on.

**A long silence followed Hagrid's story. Then Madam Rosmerta said with some satisfaction, **

"**But he didn't manage to disappear, did he? The Ministry of Magic caught up with him next day!" **

"**Alas, if only we had," said Fudge bitterly. "It was not we who found him. It was little Peter Pettigrew — another of the Potters' friends. Maddened by grief, no doubt, and knowing that Black had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper, he went after Black himself." **

"Oh no fucking way. Pettigrew was a follower, a weakling at best," Lily snarls as Pettigrew flinches.

"**Pettigrew… that fat little boy who was always tagging around after them at Hogwarts?" said Madam Rosmerta. **

"Hey!" Pettigrew shouts before shrinking back when he hears growls being sent his way.

"**Hero — worshipped Black and Potter," said Professor McGonagall. "Never quite in their league, talent-wise. I was often rather sharp with him. You can imagine how I — how I regret that now…" She sounded as though she had a sudden head cold. **

"You can imagine how I don't now," Minerva snarls, angry as Pettigrew shrinks back even more.

"**There, now, Minerva," said Fudge kindly, "Pettigrew died a hero's death. Eyewitnesses — Muggles, of course, we wiped their memories later — told us how Pettigrew cornered Black. They say he was sobbing, 'Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?' And then he went for his wand. Well, of course, Black was quicker. Blew Pettigrew to smithereens…"**

"Clearly, Pettigrew somehow got the better of Pads, but fuck, how?" James groans, angry and trying not to show it in front of people.

**Professor McGonagall blew her nose and said thickly, "Stupid boy… foolish boy… he was always hopeless at dueling… should have left it to the Ministry…" **

"I'm not stupid. Or foolish!" Pettigrew mumbles as Sirius holds on to Harry, who is trying to transform and attack the rat.

"Harry, stop. You need to calm down." He whispers. Within minutes, Harry actually calms himself down and sits back down.

"**I tell yeh, if I'd got ter Black before little Pettigrew did, I wouldn't've messed around with wands — I'd 've ripped him limb — from — limb," Hagrid growled. **

"Kind of a scary thought," Sirius shudders.

"**You don't know what you're talking about, Hagrid," said Fudge sharply. "Nobody but trained Hit Wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad would have stood a chance against Black once he was cornered. I was Junior Minister in the Department of Magical Catastrophes at the time, and I was one of the first on the scene after Black murdered all those people. I — I will never forget it. I still dream about it sometimes. A crater in the middle of the street, so deep it had cracked the sewer below. Bodies everywhere. Muggles screaming. And Black standing there laughing, with what was left of Pettigrew in front of him… a heap of bloodstained robes and a few — a few fragments —" **

"Why on bloody earth were you laughing?" James snaps at his best friend, his nerves frayed.

"I had just lost my best friend, his wife who became the sister I never had, the godson who would've become my own son in some way and my other best friends through mistrust and lies. I'm pretty sure anyone would've been laughing," Sirius snaps back.

**Fudge's voice stopped abruptly. There was the sound of five noses being blown. **

"**Well, there you have it, Rosmerta," said Fudge thickly. "Black was taken away by twenty members of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad and Pettigrew received the Order of Merlin, First Class, which I think was some comfort to his poor mother. Black's been in Azkaban ever since." **

**Madam Rosmerta let out a long sigh. **

"Wait, did he even get a trial?" Lily interrupts, anger on her face at the guilty looks around the room. "Damn it."

"**Is it true he's mad, Minister?" **

"Oh, completely." Harry interrupts, smirking at his godfather who smiles and smirks back.

"**I wish I could say that he was," said Fudge slowly. "I certainly believe his master's defeat unhinged him for a while. The murder of Pettigrew and all those Muggles was the action of a cornered and desperate man — cruel… pointless. Yet I met Black on my last inspection of Azkaban. You know, most of the prisoners in there sit muttering to themselves in the dark; there's no sense in them… but I was shocked at how **_**normal **_**Black seemed. He spoke quite rationally to me. It was unnerving. You'd have thought he was merely bored — asked if I'd finished with my newspaper, cool as you please, said he missed doing the crossword. Yes, I was astounded at how little effect the Dementors seemed to be having on him — and he was one of the most heavily guarded in the place, you know. Dementors outside his door day and night."**

"Newspaper?" Lily mumbles, looking towards Sirius who has remained still and then James, who has arched his eyebrow in understanding.

"**But what do you think he's broken out to do?" said Madam Rosmerta. "Good gracious, Minister, he isn't trying to rejoin You-Know-Who, is he?" **

"**I daresay that is his — er — eventual plan," said Fudge evasively. "But we hope to catch Black long before that. I must say, You-Know-Who alone and friendless is one thing… but give him back his most devoted servant, and I shudder to think how quickly he'll rise again…" **

**There was a small chink of glass on wood. Someone had set down their glass. **

"**You know, Cornelius, if you're dining with the headmaster, we'd better head back up to the castle," said Professor McGonagall. **

"Chapter's almost over, isn't it?" Someone mumbles, many students having remained silent due to the tension in the room.

**One by one, the pairs of feet in front of Harry took the weight of their owners once more; hems of cloaks swung into sight, and Madam Rosmerta's glittering heels disappeared behind the bar. The door of the Three Broomsticks opened again, there was another flurry of snow, and the teachers had disappeared. **

"I take it not a good way to end the first illegal visit to Hogsmeade," Minerva mutters, sighing with sadness.

"**Harry?" **

**Ron's and Hermione's faces appeared under the table. They were both staring at him, lost for words.**

"Well, yeah."

"We had learned some new stuff ourselves." Ron and Hermione mutter, shrugging as they were a little uncomfortable. The silence in the great hall managed to stay that way for a good ten minutes before someone cleared their throats. However, Fred had remained quiet, despite the loudening of the hall, and had played with the pages of the book. He had decided to skip ahead to one of the few last pages and could feel his heart stutter. He had known he shouldn't have done it, but something was compelling him to and now, after seeing what he'd seen, he didn't know how he could keep quiet.

"Fred, mate?" He looks up when he sees Harry next to him, a look of concern on his face, alongside George.

"I skipped a few chapters," He murmurs, briefly looking down.

"What would that ma—" Harry beings, only to be interrupted by Fred.

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs"

"What?" Fred looks up at Harry and with wide eyes, says one thing that puts a coldness in Harry's bones.

"You lied."

* * *

**Author's Note 2: **I'm pretty sure this was one of my longest chapters yet! I definitely enjoyed writing this chapter though, from the reactions of James and Lily, to the little hints throughout the chapter of the plot (can you find them? let me know ;)). Now, there are a few things I want to talk about that some people have mentioned in reviews and messages.

**Fleur Delacour**: She isn't in this fanfiction for no actual reason other then me just not thinking about her when I was writing. That being said, she might be added back in during the sixth or seventh book. I'm not sure yet which book she'll come in, if she'll come in at all. I know this upsets people, and I'm sorry, but there's no real use for her in my plot. -shrugs-

**One Fanfiction: **I said this at the very beginning/end of the first book, but _every single book _will be posted in this fanfiction story. Which is an extreme amount of chapters, if you think about it, so I hope you're in for the long haul! :D

**Sirius Black: **A lot of people have expressed concern over Sirius with many different sub plots, so this might actually take a while. I'm going to start off by saying this: Sirius **will not **be having any romantic relationships in this story (or any of my other fanfictions). I never imagined Sirius to be a ladies man. I know he had ladies love him but I know it was mentioned that he never had time or something for them, so it annoys me when people make him into this huge player. I'm not making him into that, and I probably never will. I think it would just ruin any kind of bond he and Harry could have, and I'm all about their bond, aha. Secondly, a few people who've managed to pick out the plotline that has James/Lily involved are worried about the bond Sirius will have with Harry and how it'll be affected. I'm telling you right now that Sirius' bond with Harry will only grow stronger. I did just say I'm all about the bond, and that's not going to change.

**Severus Snape: **I don't know why I'm bothering with this - I don't like Snape. I've never liked Snape. And I never will like Snape. No matter what he did to redeem himself (in some people's eyes, not all), it doesn't change my opinion. If you don't like that, I'm sorry, but this isn't changing any time soon!

Other than that, I hope you enjoyed the chapter :)


	50. Chapter 50

**Author's Note**: Hey guys! I'm terribly sorry this took so long! I never meant for it to do so, but things once again got hectic with school, and then _more _hospital visits and then some work. It's been a busy 2 months since then, obviously. That being said, it's officially my summer break, so all stories should be updated more often! Well, this one especially.

Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed/messaged. They all mean so much to me, even if I didn't respond to yours, I definitely enjoyed them!

* * *

"You lied," Fred says, eyes squinting in slight anger as Harry looks down in surprise. Harry opens and closes his mouth for a few minutes before looking at Fred with a small smile.

"I didn't want to – believe me Fred, the last thing I wanted to do was lie to you guys." Harry begins, before breathing slowly. He looks at his feet briefly before looking at Fred and George with strength in his eyes.

"But I had to. It was the one thing I had of my parents other than the cloak – I didn't want to share it just yet, and I know you guys understand that." Harry finishes, eyes pleading. He sees Fred nod slightly, relax even more than he should've needed to and smile briefly.

"Right. I keep forgetting that." He mutters, as George looks on in confusion, unsure if this was about the map or not.

"If it helps, we didn't know until later." Ron mutters, shrugging slightly. Fred nods before he hands the book off to Madame Pomfrey, who accepts it nervously, wondering if it will fly out of her hands suddenly. When it doesn't, she takes a breath of relief and opens the book to the right page.

**CHAPTER ELEVEN, The Firebolt **

**Harry didn't have a very clear idea of how he had managed to get back into the Honeydukes cellar, through the tunnel, and into the castle once more. All he knew was that the return trip seemed to take no time at all, and that he hardly noticed what he was doing, because his head was still pounding with the conversation he had just heard.**

Sirius grimaces at this part, before looking over at Harry and speaking quietly.

"This is where the anger and hate comes in, isn't it?" When Harry nods his head slowly, Sirius nods his own head and narrows his eyes slightly, preparing himself to hear some things he won't be comfortable with.

**Why had nobody ever told him? Dumbledore, Hagrid, Mr. Weasley, Cornelius Fudge… why hadn't anyone ever mentioned the fact that Harry's parents had died because their best friend had betrayed them?**

Sirius flinches here, which causes James to glare slightly at Pettigrew and him to flinch back too.

**Ron and Hermione watched Harry nervously all through dinner, not daring to talk about what they'd overheard, because Percy was sitting close by them. When they went upstairs to the crowded common room, it was to find Fred and George had set off half a dozen Dungbombs in a fit of end-of-term high spirits. Harry, who didn't want Fred and George asking him whether he'd reached Hogsmeade or not, sneaked quietly up to the empty dormitory and headed straight for his bedside cabinet. He pushed his books aside and quickly found what he was looking for — the leather-bound photo album Hagrid had given him two years ago, which was full of wizard pictures of his mother and father. He sat down on his bed, drew the hangings around him, and started turning the pages, searching, until… **

"Oh, blimey." Hagrid mutters shaking his head.

**He stopped on a picture of his parents' wedding day. **

"Oh, what an amazing day," James sighs, looking off into space as his wife giggles.

"And night," She snorts as Sirius chuckles, Remus grins and Harry blushes. Snape glowers and James smirks, having noticed this.

"Clearly."

**There was his father waving up at him, beaming, the untidy black hair Harry had inherited standing up in all directions.**

"Of course I was beaming! All my hard work finally paid off!" James snorts, grinning at his wife briefly.

**There was his mother, alight with happiness, arm in arm with his dad.**

Lily sighs briefly, remembering the happiness she felt that day as Snape frowns.

**And there… that must be him. Their best man… Harry had never given him a thought before. **

"Jeeze, pup. Ouch." Sirius tries to joke, grimacing as Harry shrugs slightly.

**If he hadn't known it was the same person, he would never have guessed it was Black in this old photograph. **

"Yeah, I was probably pretty happy then compared to my mug shot." Sirius mutters, smirking slightly, trying to ease the tension.

**His face wasn't sunken and waxy, but handsome, full of laughter. Had he already been working for Voldemort when this picture had been taken? Was he already planning the deaths of the two people next to him? Did he realize he was facing twelve years in Azkaban, twelve years that would make him unrecognizable? **

"No, no, and definitely not." Sirius interrupts, looking down and frowning.

**But the Dementors don't affect him, Harry thought, staring into the handsome, laughing face. He doesn't have to hear my Mum screaming if they get too close — **

Many people around the room grimaced as Sirius sighs.

"No, but I do have to relive the moment I found them." He whispers, looking at his godson. Harry looks over, surprised written all over his face as he opens and closes his mouth like a fish out of water.

"Oh"

**Harry slammed the album shut, reached over and stuffed it back into his cabinet, took off his robe and glasses and got into bed, making sure the hangings were hiding him from view. **

"Harry's ultimate 'I-want-to-hide-leave-me-the-hell-alone' position." Many people snort as Ron and Hermione state.

**The dormitory door opened. **

"**Harry?" said Ron's voice uncertainly. **

**But Harry lay still, pretending to be asleep. He heard Ron leave again, and rolled over on his back, his eyes wide open. **

"See?" Ron grins, showing no harm done towards Harry.

**A hatred such as he had never known before was coursing through Harry like poison. He could see Black laughing at him through the darkness, as though somebody had pasted the picture from the album over his eyes. He watched, as though somebody was playing him a piece of film, Sirius Black blasting Peter Pettigrew (who resembled Neville Longbottom) into a thousand pieces. **

With wide eyes, Harry turned toward Neville and opened his mouth to apologize. Before he could though, Neville smiled and shrugged.

"It's alright, Harry. I can kind of see where you would make the connection, but just know –"

"Yeah, no, definitely." Harry interrupts, gulping slightly.

**He could hear (though having no idea what Black's voice might sound like) a low, excited mutter. "It has happened, My Lord… the Potters have made me their Secret-Keeper" and then came another voice, laughing shrilly, the same laugh that Harry heard inside his head whenever the Dementors drew near… **

Briefly, Remus saw Pettigrew's eyes go wide and his body posture shrank, and his eyes turned into slits, wondering if maybe Harry did hear that occur in actuality. Just didn't think anything of it at the time.

"**Harry, you — you look terrible." **

"Wonderful way to say hello," Ginny snorts, shaking her head.

**Harry hadn't gotten to sleep until daybreak. He had awoken to find the dormitory deserted, dressed, and gone down the spiral staircase to a common room that was completely empty except for Ron, who was eating a Peppermint Toad and massaging his stomach, and Hermione, who had spread her homework over three tables. **

James' eyes had gone wide before speaking, "Shit, she really is like Lily."

"**Where is everyone?" said Harry. **

"**Gone! It's the first day of the holidays, remember?" said Ron, watching Harry closely. "It's nearly lunchtime; I was going to come and wake you up in a minute." **

"Lunchtime? Merlin Harry, please don't starve yourself on my account!" Sirius chuckles, eyes dulled briefly as Harry hugs him, trying to cheer his godfather up.

**Harry slumped into a chair next to the fire. Snow was still falling outside the windows. Crookshanks was spread out in front of the fire like a large, ginger rug. **

"**You really don't look well, you know," Hermione said, peering anxiously into his face. **

"**I'm fine," said Harry. **

"**Harry, listen," said Hermione, exchanging a look with Ron, "you must be really upset about what we heard yesterday. But the thing is, you mustn't go doing anything stupid." **

"Why do people think I'm going to do –"

"Because we have evidence you will," Remus laughs, shaking his head.

"**Like what?" said Harry. **

"**Like trying to go after Black," said Ron sharply. **

**Harry could tell they had rehearsed this conversation while he had been asleep. He didn't say anything.**

Both Ron and Hermione blushed, eyes wide as they mumbled something and Harry grinned.

"**You won't, will you, Harry?" said Hermione. **

"**Because Black's not worth dying for," said Ron. **

"Yes he is!" Harry mutters, rolling his eyes as Sirius peers at him.

"No, I'm not." Sirius whispers back, eyes for once, showing how serious he is.

**Harry looked at them. They didn't seem to understand at all. **

"**D'you know what I see and hear every time a Dementor gets too near me?" Ron and Hermione shook their heads, looking apprehensive.**

"Well, we didn't really wanna know." Ron grimaces, shrugging slightly.

"Yeah, I should've figured."

"**I can hear my mum screaming and pleading with Voldemort. And if you'd heard your mum screaming like that, just about to be killed, you wouldn't forget it in a hurry. And if you found out someone who was supposed to be a friend of hers betrayed her and sent Voldemort after her —"**

Many people grimaced at the description and looked down briefly, noticing how Harry was glaring at Pettigrew.

"It still applies, too." He mumbles, crossing his arms.

"**There's nothing you can do!" said Hermione, looking stricken. "The Dementors will catch Black and he'll go back to Azkaban and — and serve him right!"**

"Ouch." Sirius mutters, smirking.

"**You heard what Fudge said. Black isn't affected by Azkaban like normal people are. It's not a punishment for him like it is for the others." **

"Except it totally is," Sirius mutters, frowning slightly.

"**So what are you saying?" said Ron, looking very tense. "You want to — to kill Black or something?" **

"**Don't be silly," said Hermione in a panicky voice. "Harry doesn't want to kill anyone, do you, Harry?" **

"I had my doubts." Harry whispers, shrugging a bit as Sirius smiles sadly towards his godson.

"I don't blame you, pup." He whispers, giving Harry a one-armed hug.

**Again, Harry didn't answer. He didn't know what he wanted to do. All he knew was that the idea of doing nothing, while Black was at liberty, was almost more than he could stand. **

"**Malfoy knows," he said abruptly. "Remember what he said to me in Potions? 'If it was me, I'd hunt him down myself… I'd want revenge.'" **

"**You're going to take Malfoy's advice instead of ours?" said Ron furiously. **

"I had every right to be angry!' Ron mutters, crossing his arms against his chest as Harry smirks slightly.

"**Listen… you know what Pettigrew's mother got back after Black had finished with him? Dad told me — the Order of Merlin, First Class, and Pettigrew's finger in a box. That was the biggest bit of him they could find. Black's a madman, Harry, and he's dangerous —" **

"I hope to Merlin that _rat_ still doesn't have the Order of Merlin," James snarls, clenching his fists as Amelia tilts her head and reminds herself to change that as soon as possible.

"**Malfoy's dad must have told him," said Harry, ignoring Ron. "He was right in Voldemort's inner circle —" **

"LIES!" Malfoy shouts as Narcissa rolls her eyes and snorts and many others flinch at Voldemort's name.

"Not lies, which will become very clear if we continue to read!" Harry shouts right back as Sirius holds him back from doing anything else.

"_**Say You-Know-Who, will you?**_**" interjected Ron angrily. **

"You really should be able to handle the name," Fred snorts while shaking his head as Ron blushes.

"— **so obviously, the Malfoys knew Black was working for Voldemort —"**

"Well, actually, they were just as surprised as everyone else," Narcissa says, looking over at Sirius with something in her eyes. Sirius squirms slightly as Harry snorts and the twins smirk.

"— **and Malfoy'd love to see you blown into about a million pieces, like Pettigrew! Get a grip. Malfoy's just hoping you'll get yourself killed before he has to play you at Quidditch." **

"Well, actually." Draco mutters, shifting slightly as Ron's eyes go wide and oddly enough, Luna glares.

"**Harry, **_**please**_**," said Hermione, her eyes now shining with tears.**

"Oh dear, don't make her _cry_," Lily mutters, flinging her hands together as Harry blushes.

"_**Please **_**be sensible. Black did a terrible, terrible thing, but d-don't put yourself in danger, it's what Black wants… Oh, Harry, you'd be playing right into Black's hands if you went looking for him. Your mum and dad wouldn't want you to get hurt, would they? They'd never want you to go looking for Black!" **

"We would indeed not want you getting hurt." James says, shaking his head and frowning slightly.

"**I'll never know what they'd have wanted, because thanks to Black, I've never spoken to them," said Harry shortly. **

"Harry James Sirius, don't you dare," Lily mutters, shaking her head in irritation as Harry once again blushes.

**There was a silence in which Crookshanks stretched luxuriously flexing his claws. Ron's pocket quivered. **

"Was it the talk about me or the mention of the kneazle?" Sirius snorts, glaring at Pettigrew as he flinches.

"**Look," said Ron, obviously casting around for a change of subject, "it's the holidays! It's nearly Christmas! Let's — let's go down and see Hagrid. We haven't visited him for ages!" **

"Smooth, little brother." Charlie snorts.

"**No!" said Hermione quickly. "Harry isn't supposed to leave the castle, Ron —"**

"Harry leaving the castle is _never_ good," Someone groans as many people nod their heads and Harry blushes.

"**Yeah, let's go," said Harry, sitting up, "and I can ask him how come he never mentioned Black when he told me all about my parents!"**

Hagrid flinches and Sirius grimaces before they both take a deep breath to calm themselves down.

**Further discussion of Sirius Black plainly wasn't what Ron had had in mind. **

"Clearly," Someone snorts.

"**Or we could have a game of chess," he said hastily, "or Gobstones. Percy left a set —" **

"**No, let's visit Hagrid," said Harry firmly. **

Many other people snorted at this line, not surprised at Potter's stubbornness.

**So they got their cloaks from their dormitories and set off through the portrait hole ("Stand and fight, you yellow-bellied mongrels!"), down through the empty castle and out through the oak front doors. They made their way slowly down the lawn, making a shallow trench in the glittering, powdery snow, their socks and the hems of their cloaks soaked and freezing. The Forbidden Forest looked as though it had been enchanted, each tree smattered with silver, and Hagrid's cabin looked like an iced cake. **

"Sounds delicious," A younger students moans, patting their stomach in wish for food, as it suddenly came for them.

**Ron knocked, but there was no answer. **

"**He's not out, is he?" said Hermione, who was shivering under her cloak. **

"Harry, be a dear and warm up your girlfriend!" Lily laughs, clapping slightly as James snorts, Harry blushes and Hermione smirks.

**Ron had his ear to the door. **

"Kind of creepy, mate." Neville says, cocking an eyebrow.

"**There's a weird noise," he said. "Listen — is that Fang?" Harry and Hermione put their ears to the door too. From inside the cabin came a series of low, throbbing moans. **

"I hope to Merlin it _is_ Fang." James whispers with wide eyes as he shudders and those around him grimace in disgust.

"**Think we'd better go and get someone?" said Ron nervously. **

"**Hagrid!" called Harry, thumping the door. "Hagrid, are you in there?" **

"Harry, what if he was pulling the dog or something?!" Ginny asks with wide eyes as her brothers look at her in surprise.

"What? I grew up with 6 brothers. I _know _things," She shrugs in return.

**There was a sound of heavy footsteps, then the door creaked open. Hagrid stood there with his eyes red and swollen, tears splashing down the front of his leather vest. **

"Oh no," Lily whispers, hands going to her mouth in surprise.

"**You've heard?" he bellowed, and he flung himself onto Harry's neck. **

"That must've sucked."

"A giant flinging yourself,"

"Onto your neck?"

"Oh yeah, that definitely must've sucked," the twins grinned, high-fiving one another.

**Hagrid being at least twice the size of a normal man, this was no laughing matter. Harry, about to collapse under Hagrid's weight, was rescued by Ron and Hermione, who each seized Hagrid under an arm and heaved him back into the cabin. Hagrid allowed himself to be steered into a chair and slumped over the table, sobbing uncontrollably, his face glazed with tears that dripped down into his tangled beard. **

"How attractive," Snape snarls as many people try to ignore the outgrown bat.

**"Hagrid, what is it?" said Hermione, aghast. **

"Well, if he's crying the way he is – I imagine nothing good," James mutters.

**Harry spotted an official-looking letter lying open on the table. "What's this, Hagrid?" **

**Hagrid's sobs redoubled, but he shoved the letter toward Harry, who picked it up and read aloud: **

_**Dear Mr. Hagrid, **_

_**Further to our inquiry into the attack by a Hippogriff on a student in your class, we have accepted the assurances of Professor Dumbledore that you bear no responsibility for the regrettable incident. **_

"Good!" Someone shouts as Hagrid smiles slightly, remembering the sadness he felt over losing Buckbeak anyways.

"**Well, that's okay then, Hagrid!" said Ron, clapping Hagrid on the shoulder. But Hagrid continued to sob, and waved one of his gigantic hands, inviting Harry to read on. **

_**However, we must register our concern about the Hippogriff in question. We have decided to uphold the official complaint of Mr. Lucius Malfoy, and this matter will therefore be taken to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. The hearing will take place on April 20th, and we ask you to present yourself and your Hippogriff at the Committee's offices in London on that date. In the meantime, the Hippogriff should be kept tethered and isolated. **_

_**Yours in fellowship… **_

"So essentially, Malfoy will have the animal killed." James seethes quietly, fists clenching as Lily smiles at him sadly. She knew how James felt about the unnecessary murder of animals and also knew he wouldn't take this too well.

**There followed a list of the school governors. **

"**Oh," said Ron. "But you said Buckbeak isn't a bad Hippogriff, Hagrid. I bet he'll get off." **

"**Yeh don' know them gargoyles at the Committee fer the Disposal o' Dangerous Creatures!" choked Hagrid, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "They've got it in fer interestin' creatures!" **

"Or they've been paid off by Malfoy." Lily snorts, angry for her husband who has chosen to remain silent for the next little while, oddly enough.

**A sudden sound from the corner of Hagrid's cabin made Harry, Ron, and Hermione whip around. Buckbeak the Hippogriff was lying in the corner, chomping on something that was oozing blood all over the floor. **

"That's kind of disgusting," Someone says, wrinkling their nose.

"**I couldn' leave him tied up out there in the snow!" choked Hagrid. "All on his own! At Christmas." **

"I know the feeling!" Harry mumbles under his breath, not realizing that many people heard him and turned to look at him. Sirius opened and closed his mouth in shock before his eyes squinted in anger and he turned towards Harry completely.

"Harry," He whispers as Harry freezes.

"Can we talk about it maybe, I don't know, later?" Harry mutters, shrugging. Sirius paused slightly before nodding his head slightly and frowning.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another. They had never seen eye to eye with Hagrid about what he called 'interesting creatures' and other people called 'terrifying monsters.' On the other hand, there didn't seem to be any particular harm in Buckbeak. In fact, by Hagrid's usual standards, he was positively cute. **

"SEE!" Hagrid harrumphs as many younger students jump in surprise.

"**You'll have to put up a good strong defense, Hagrid," said Hermione, sitting down and laying a hand on Hagrid's massive forearm. "I'm sure you can prove Buckbeak is safe." **

"God, I feel so bad!" Hermione groans as Harry wraps his arm around her and brings her closer, kissing her forehead as many females aww at the sight.

"**Won' make no diff'rence!" sobbed Hagrid. "Them Disposal devils, they're all in Lucius Malfoy's pocket! Scared o' him! Ad if I lose the case, Buckbeak —"**

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Ron mumbles.

**Hagrid drew his finger swiftly across his throat, then gave a great wail and lurched forward, his face in his arms. **

"**What about Dumbledore, Hagrid?" said Harry. **

"I could have definitely helped, Hagrid." Albus whispers, feeling slightly put out.

"**He's done more'n enough fer me already," groaned Hagrid. "Got enough on his plate what with keepin' them Dementors outta the castle, an' Sirius Black lurkin' around." **

"So selfless, Hagrid." Sirius mutters, yawning and stretching.

**Ron and Hermione looked quickly at Harry, as though expecting him to start berating Hagrid for not telling him the truth about Black.**

"You mean you don't?" James snorts, shaking his head as Harry smiles and shakes his head.

**But Harry couldn't bring himself to do it, not now that he saw Hagrid so miserable and scared. **

"Well, that's kind," Pomona says quietly.

"**Listen, Hagrid," he said, "you can't give up. Hermione's right, you just need a good defense. You can call us as witnesses —" **

"Harry, that's sweet, but wizarding law doesn't work like that," Lily sighs, upset for her son and herself, knowing she thought the same thing when she was younger.

"Yeah, I know that now." Harry replies with a snort, causing James to look over at his son in surprise.

"**I'm sure I've read about a case of Hippogriff-baiting," said Hermione thoughtfully, "where the Hippogriff got off. I'll look it up for you, Hagrid, and see exactly what happened." **

"You were kidding, right?" Remus questions as he turns to face the girl. She shakes her head, blushes and Remus chuckles in response before turning back towards Poppy.

**Hagrid howled still more loudly. Harry and Hermione looked at Ron to help them. **

"Wait, why?" Draco questions, as Ginny nods her head and many other pure blooded wizards wondered the same thing.

"I think because we weren't sure of the proper procedures when it came to wizards and being comforted and Ron, having grown up with six other people, would know—" Hermione began before slowly taking a breath as the other muggleborn students nodded their heads in agreement.

"Oh. I guess that makes sense," Ginny replies as Draco blushes.

"**Er — shall I make a cup of tea?" said Ron. **

"Clearly, I didn't know much, either." Ron snorts.

**Harry stared at him. **

"**It's what my mum does whenever someone's upset," Ron muttered, shrugging. **

"It's a good thing to do," Molly states with a shrug as Lily looks at her quizzically.

**At last, after many more assurances of help, with a steaming mug of tea in front of him, Hagrid blew his nose on a handkerchief the size of a tablecloth and said, "Yer right. I can' afford to go ter pieces. Gotta pull meself together…" **

"Why is it everything is described as huge for Hagrid, when he should be fine with regular sized things unless it's a couch or something?" Remus mutters while clearly annoyed with the descriptors used.

**Fang the boarhound came timidly out from under the table and laid his head on Hagrid's knee. **

"Well, that's adorable," Hermione laughs.

"**I've not bin meself lately," said Hagrid, stroking Fang with one hand and mopping his face with the other. "Worried abou' Buckbeak, an' no one likin' me classes —" **

"We like them!" Harry said, nodding his head.

"**We do like them!" lied Hermione at once. **

"There wasn't a lie within that statement!" Ron mutters, frowning as Hagrid looks down self-consciously.

"**Yeah, they're great!" said Ron, crossing his fingers under the table. "Er — how are the flobberworms?" **

"Oh, it was the flobberworms? Yeah, those classes weren't good Hagrid – we much preferred your 'brand'" Neville replies, smiling as many other people within the same year nod their heads, as Hagrid grins.

"**Dead," said Hagrid gloomily. "Too much lettuce." **

"That'll do it," Poppy snorts, interrupting herself with a chuckle.

"**Oh no!" said Ron, his lip twitching. **

"It wasn't in offence to you Hagrid – it's just,"

"They're flobberworms." Hagrid finishes, smiling.

"**An' them Dementors make me feel ruddy terrible an' all," said Hagrid, with a sudden shudder. "Gotta walk past 'em ev'ry time I want a drink in the Three Broomsticks. 'S like bein' back in Azkaban —" **

"Is there an ending to that sentence, Hagrid?" Snape snarls, his mouth upturned as many people glare between him and Pettigrew, whom had sniggered.

**He fell silent, gulping his tea. Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched him breathlessly. They had never heard Hagrid talk about his brief spell in Azkaban before.**

"I was actually beside Sirius," Hagrid mumbles, while Sirius tilts his head.

"I remember that – I was…. Afraid, to ask you about Harry." Sirius replies, as James looks towards his best friend and just wants him to cheer up, missing the past Sirius.

"Sirius, can we talk, after?" He says suddenly, eyes wide as Sirius looks at him and nods in confusion.

**After a pause, Hermione said timidly, "Is it awful in there, Hagrid?" **

"**Yeh've no idea," said Hagrid quietly. "Never bin anywhere like it. Thought I was goin' mad. Kep' goin' over horrible stuff in me mind… the day I got expelled from Hogwarts… day me dad died… day I had ter let Norbert go…" **

"That was one of your worst memories?" Lucius Malfoy says with contempt as many people glare.

**His eyes filled with tears. Norbert was the baby dragon Hagrid had once won in a game of cards. **

"**Yeh can' really remember who yeh are after a while. An' yeh can' really see the point o' livin' at all. I used ter hope I'd jus' die in me sleep. When they let me out, it was like bein' born again, ev'rythin' came floodin' back, it was the bes' feelin' in the world. Mind, the Dementors weren't keen on lettin' me go." **

"Nicely put," Sirius murmurs, nodding his head slowly.

"**But you were innocent!" said Hermione. Hagrid snorted. **

"**Think that matters to them? They don' care. Long as they've got a couple o' hundred humans stuck there with 'em, so they can leech all the happiness out of 'em, they don' give a damn who's guilty an' who's not." **

"Also nicely put," Remus shudders, having heard enough about Azkaban from Sirius to know.

**Hagrid went quiet for a moment, staring into his tea. Then he said quietly, "Thought o' jus' letting Buckbeak go… tryin' ter make him fly away… but how d'yeh explain ter a Hippogriff it's gotta go inter hidin'? An' — an' I'm scared o' breakin' the law…" He looked up at them, tears leaking down his face again. "I don' ever want ter go back ter Azkaban." **

"No one would, Hagrid."

**The trip to Hagrid's, though far from fun, had nevertheless had the effect Ron and Hermione had hoped. Though Harry had by no means forgotten about Black, he couldn't brood constantly on revenge if he wanted to help Hagrid win his case against the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. He, Ron, and Hermione went to the library the next day and returned to the empty common room laden with books that might help prepare a defense for Buckbeak. The three of them sat in front of the roaring fire, slowly turning the pages of dusty volumes about famous cases of marauding beasts, speaking occasionally when they ran across something relevant. **

"….Hagrid, be very thankful," Harry snorts, surprised at himself for even staying as long as he did.

"**Here's something… there was a case in 1722… but the Hippogriff was convicted — ugh, look what they did to it, that's disgusting —" **

"Why did you look?" Ron mutters, shaking his head.

"**This might help, look — a Manticore savaged someone in 1296, and they let the Manticore off — oh — no, that was only because everyone was too scared to go near it…" **

"Hermione, this is hilarious." James snorts while Hermione blushes.

**Meanwhile, in the rest of the castle, the usual magnificent Christmas decorations had been put up, despite the fact that hardly any of the students remained to enjoy them.**

"Ah, Christmas," someone sighs.

**Thick streamers of holly and mistletoe were strung along the corridors, mysterious lights shone from inside every suit of armor, and the Great Hall was filled with its usual twelve Christmas trees, glittering with golden stars. A powerful and delicious smell of cooking pervaded the corridors, and by Christmas Eve, it had grown so strong that even Scabbers poked his nose out of the shelter of Ron's pocket to sniff hopefully at the air. **

"Because Scabbers is a fat ass," Harry mutters, crossing his arms as Sirius slaps his head lightly.

**On Christmas morning, Harry was woken by Ron throwing his pillow at him. **

"How nice, I used to do that to Sirius," James laughs as Sirius' eyes light up in reminiscence.

"**Oy! Presents!" **

**Harry reached for his glasses and put them on, squinting through the semi-darkness to the foot of his bed, where a small heap of parcels had appeared. Ron was already ripping the paper off his own presents. **

"**Another sweater from Mum… maroon **_**again**_**… see if you've got one." **

Molly flinches slightly at the sentence as Lily cocks her head and rolls her eyes, knowing that even she still knows Ron's least favorite color.

**Harry had. Mrs. Weasley had sent him a scarlet sweater with the Gryffindor lion knitted on the front, also a dozen home-baked mince pies, some Christmas cake, and a box of nut brittle. As he moved all these things aside, he saw a long, thin package lying underneath. **

Hermione flinches slightly as Harry holds her hand and rubs his thumb on it, trying to comfort her.

"I really am sorry,"

"I know. And it's ok. I was – I forgave you basically immediately, 'Mione." Harry whispers.

"**What's that?" said Ron, looking over, a freshly unwrapped pair of maroon socks in his hand. **

"**Dunno…" **

**Harry ripped the parcel open and gasped as a magnificent, gleaming broomstick rolled out onto his bedspread. Ron dropped his socks and jumped off his bed for a closer look. **

"No. Fucking—"

"James—"

"Way!" James finishes, ignoring his interruptive wife as his eyes go wide and his mouth forms a near perfect 'O'.

"**I don't believe it," he said hoarsely. **

**It was a Firebolt, identical to the dream broom Harry had gone to see every day in Diagon Alley. Its handle glittered as he picked it up. He could feel it vibrating and let go; **

"YOU FELT IT VIBRATING?" James interrupts, jumping up from his seat in excitement as Harry's eyes go wide and he nods in surprise.

- **it hung in midair, unsupported, at exactly the right height for him to mount it. His eyes moved from the golden registration number at the top of the handle, right down to the perfectly smooth, streamlined birch twigs that made up the tail. **

"**Who sent it to you?" said Ron in a hushed voice. **

"**Look and see if there's a card," said Harry. **

**Ron ripped apart the Firebolt's wrappings. **

"**Nothing! Blimey, who'd spend that much on you?" **

"Thanks, Sirius," Harry whispers, smiling at his godfather who ruffles his hair.

"**Well," said Harry, feeling stunned, "I'm betting it wasn't the Dursleys." **

"**I bet it was Dumbledore," said Ron, now walking around and around the Firebolt, taking in every glorious inch. "He sent you the Invisibility Cloak anonymously…" **

"Which he shouldn't have been able to—" James seethes, teeth set in a grimace.

"**That was my dad's, though," said Harry. "Dumbledore was just passing it on to me. He wouldn't spend hundreds of Galleons on me. He can't go giving students stuff like this —" **

"Favoritism!" Snape snarls as James rolls his eyes and turns to him.

"Which you show towards Draco, your _own _godson! You want to complain about something Severus, make sure you don't do it yourself!" He snaps.

"**That's why he wouldn't say it was from him!" said Ron. "In case some git like Malfoy said it was favoritism. Hey, Harry —" Ron gave a great whoop of laughter — "**_**Malfoy**_**! Wait 'til he sees you on this! He'll be sick as a pig! This is an **_**international **_**standard broom, this is!" **

"And it's still oh-so amazing!" Harry sighs, stars in his eyes as Sirius laughs.

"**I can't believe this," Harry muttered, running a hand along the Firebolt, while Ron sank onto Harry's bed, laughing his head off at the thought of Malfoy. "**_**Who—?" **_

"**I know," said Ron, controlling himself, "I know who it could've been — Lupin!" **

"Remus, I apologize in advance for what I'm about to say!" Harry interrupts as Poppy snorts, having read ahead.

"**What?" said Harry, now starting to laugh himself "**_**Lupin**_**? Listen, if he had this much gold, he'd be able to buy himself some new robes."**

Sirius burst out into laughter, James smirked and Harry blushes as Remus shook his head and tried to stop himself from laughing too.

"It's fine, Harry."

"**Yeah, but he likes you," said Ron. "And he was away when your Nimbus got smashed, and he might've heard about it and decided to visit Diagon Alley and get this for you —" **

"**What d'you mean, he was away?" said Harry. "He was ill when I was playing in that match." **

"**Well, he wasn't in the hospital wing," said Ron. "I was there, cleaning out the bedpans on that detention from Snape, remember?" **

"Ah, sweet ol' willow." James sighs.

**Harry frowned at Ron. **

"**I can't see Lupin affording something like this." **

Remus smiled, shaking his head again.

"**What're you two laughing about?" **

"What an abrupt change of subject," Minerva mutters, tilting her head.

**Hermione had just come in, wearing her dressing gown and carrying Crookshanks, who was looking very grumpy, with a string of tinsel tied around his neck. **

"Why do females always get to walk in on us when we can't walk in on them?" Harry groans as James smirks and Sirius laughs at his godson.

"**Don't bring him in here!" said Ron, hurriedly snatching Scabbers from the depths of his bed and stowing him in his pajama pocket. But Hermione wasn't listening. She dropped Crookshanks onto Seamus's empty bed and stared, open-mouthed, at the Firebolt. **

"I really am –"

"'Mione, stop." Harry groans, kissing her cheek slightly, "I've already forgiven you."

"**Oh, **_**Harry**_**! Who sent you **_**that**_**?" **

"This is going to end badly, isn't it?"

"**No idea," said Harry. "There wasn't a card or anything with it." **

**To his great surprise, Hermione did not appear either excited or intrigued by the news. On the contrary, her face fell, and she bit her lip. **

"I felt so horrible," Hermione mutters, as many people look at her in confusion.

"**What's the matter with you?" said Ron. **

"**I don't know," said Hermione slowly, "but it's a bit odd, isn't it? I mean, this is supposed to be quite a good broom, isn't it?" **

**Ron sighed exasperatedly. **

"**It's the best broom there is, Hermione," he said. **

"**So it must've been really expensive…"**

"**Probably cost more than all the Slytherins' brooms put together," said Ron happily. **

"Double that!' Sirius whispers as Ron's eyes widen.

"**Well… who'd send Harry something as expensive as that, and not even tell him they'd sent it?" said Hermione. **

"**Who cares?" said Ron impatiently. "Listen, Harry, can I have a go on it? Can I?" **

"**I don't think anyone should ride that broom just yet!" said Hermione shrilly. **

"Oh." Sirius mutters, his own eyes wide with surprise and pride.

**Harry and Ron looked at her. **

"**What d'you think Harry's going to do with it — sweep the floor?" said Ron. **

Many people snorted at his reply, shaking their heads.

**But before Hermione could answer, Crookshanks sprang from Seamus's bed, right at Ron's chest. **

"Oh dear,"

"**GET — HIM — OUT — OF — HERE!" Ron bellowed as Crookshanks's claws ripped his pajamas and Scabbers attempted a wild escape over his shoulder. Ron seized Scabbers by the tail and aimed a misjudged kick at Crookshanks that hit the trunk at the end of Harry's bed, knocking it over and causing Ron to hop up and down, howling with pain. **

**Crookshanks's fur suddenly stood on end. A shrill, tinny, whistling was filling the room. The Pocket Sneakoscope had become dislodged from Uncle Vernon's old socks and was whirling and gleaming on the floor. **

"Huh, interesting."

"What?"

"Was it going off because of Pettigrew, or Hermione?" Fred whispers to George, who shrugs and looks at the dynamic trio in curiosity.

"**I forgot about that!" Harry said, bending down and picking up the Sneakoscope. "I never wear those socks if I can help it…" **

**The Sneakoscope whirled and whistled in his palm. Crookshanks was hissing and spitting at it. **

"**You'd better take that cat out of here, Hermione," said Ron furiously, sitting on Harry's bed nursing his toe. "Can't you shut that thing up?" he added to Harry as Hermione strode out of the room, Crookshanks's yellow eyes still fixed maliciously on Ron. **

"On the rat, truthfully." Sirius mutters.

"Because you speak Kneazle?" Harry snarks as Sirius raises an eyebrow.

"When I'm Padfoot? Yep."

**Harry stuffed the Sneakoscope back inside the socks and threw it back into his trunk. All that could be heard now were Ron's stifled moans of pain and rage. Scabbers was huddled in Ron's hands. It had been a while since Harry had seen him out of Ron's pocket, and he was unpleasantly surprised to see that Scabbers, once so fat, was now very skinny; patches of fur seemed to have fallen out too. **

"**He's not looking too good, is he?" Harry said. **

"**It's stress!" said Ron. "He'd be fine if that big stupid furball left him alone!" **

**But Harry, remembering what the woman at the Magical Menagerie had said about rats living only three years, couldn't help feeling that unless Scabbers had powers he had never revealed, he was reaching the end of his life. And despite Ron's frequent complaints that Scabbers was both boring and useless, he was sure Ron would be very miserable if Scabbers died. **

"Not now I wouldn't be," Ron snorts, shaking his head as Molly looks at him in anger.

**Christmas spirit was definitely thin on the ground in the Gryffindor common room that morning. Hermione had shut Crookshanks in her dormitory, but was furious with Ron for trying to kick him; Ron was still fuming about Crookshanks's fresh attempt to eat Scabbers. Harry gave up trying to make them talk to each other and devoted himself to examining the Firebolt, which he had brought down to the common room with him. For some reason this seemed to annoy Hermione as well; she didn't say anything, but she kept looking darkly at the broom as though it too had been criticizing her cat. **

"This really is going to end badly, isn't it love?" James whispers, eyes filled with sadness as Lily snorts.

**At lunchtime they went down to the Great Hall, to find that the House tables had been moved against the walls again, and that a single table, set for twelve, stood in the middle of the room. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, and Flitwick were there, along with Filch, the caretaker, who had taken off his usual brown coat and was wearing a very old and rather moldy-looking tailcoat. There were only three other students, two extremely nervous-looking first years and a sullen-faced Slytherin fifth year. **

"**Merry Christmas!" said Dumbledore as Harry, Ron, and Hermione approached the table. "As there are so few of us, it seemed foolish to use the House tables… Sit down, sit down!" **

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down side by side at the end of the table. **

"**Crackers!" said Dumbledore enthusiastically, offering the end of a large silver noisemaker to Snape, who took it reluctantly and tugged. With a bang like a gunshot, the cracker flew apart to reveal a large, pointed witches hat topped with a stuffed vulture. **

**Harry, remembering the Boggart, caught Ron's eye and they both grinned; Snape's mouth thinned and he pushed the hat toward Dumbledore, who swapped it for his wizard's hat at once. **

"Ebenezer Scrooge, much?" James snorts as Lily grins and Snape cocks an eyebrow in surprise.

"**Dig in!" he advised the table, beaming around. **

**As Harry was helping himself to roast potatoes, the doors of the Great Hall opened again. It was Professor Trelawney, gliding toward them as though on wheels. She had put on a green sequined dress in honor of the occasion, making her look more than ever like a glittering, oversized dragonfly. **

Many people snorted at this, agreeing full-heartedly.

"**Sybill, this is a pleasant surprise!" said Dumbledore, standing up. **

"Liar,"

"**I have been crystal gazing, Headmaster," said Professor Trelawney in her mistiest, most faraway voice, "and to my astonishment, I saw myself abandoning my solitary luncheon and coming to join you. Who am I to refuse the promptings of fate? I at once hastened from my tower, and I do beg you to forgive my lateness…" **

"**Certainly, certainly," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. "Let me draw you up a chair —" **

**And he did indeed draw a chair in midair with his wand, which revolved for a few seconds before falling with a thud between Professors Snape and McGonagall. **

"We weren't thrilled," Minerva mutters.

**Professor Trelawney, however, did not sit down; her enormous eyes had been roving around the table, and she suddenly uttered a kind of soft scream. **

"Not that thirteen shit, again," Lily groans as Hermione grins.

"**I dare not, Headmaster! If I join the table, we shall be thirteen! Nothing could be more unlucky! Never forget that when thirteen dine together, the first to rise will be the first to die!" **

"Oh, please." Hermione groans.

"**We'll risk it, Sybill," said Professor McGonagall impatiently. "Do sit down, the turkey's getting stone cold." **

"I love sassy Minnie," James grins as Sirius laughs.

**Professor Trelawney hesitated, then lowered herself into the empty chair, eyes shut and mouth clenched tight, as though expecting a thunderbolt to hit the table. Professor McGonagall poked a large spoon into the nearest tureen. **

"**Tripe, Sybill?" **

**Professor Trelawney ignored her. Eyes open again, she looked around once more and said, "But where is dear Professor Lupin?" **

"Oh c'mon," Remus mutters, shaking his head.

"**I'm afraid the poor fellow is ill again," said Dumbledore, indicating that everybody should start serving themselves. "Most unfortunate that it should happen on Christmas Day." **

"Yes, but I grew used to it," Remus shrugs as James and Sirius glare at their friend.

"**But surely you already knew that, Sybill?" said Professor McGonagall, her eyebrows raised. Professor Trelawney gave Professor McGonagall a very cold look**

"Very nice, Minerva," Lily snorts.

**. **

"**Certainly I knew, Minerva," she said quietly. "But one does not parade the fact that one is All-Knowing. I frequently act as though I am not possessed of the Inner Eye, so as not to make others nervous." **

"Right."

"**That explains a great deal," said Professor McGonagall tartly. **

Many students snorted, knowing how much McGonagall could barely stand the so-called seer.

**Professor Trelawney's voice suddenly became a good deal less misty. **

"**If you must know, Minerva, I have seen that poor Professor Lupin will not be with us for very long. He seems aware, himself, that his time is short. He positively fled when I offered to crystal gaze for him —" **

James and Sirius both burst out laughing as Remus blushed.

"Still the same feelings then, Moon?" Sirius laughs.

"**Imagine that," said Professor McGonagall dryly. **

"Indeed," Remus mutters.

"**I doubt," said Dumbledore, in a cheerful but slightly raised voice, which put an end to Professor McGonagall and Professor Trelawney's conversation, "that Professor Lupin is in any immediate danger. Severus, you've made the potion for him again?" **

"So then he _is _in immediate danger," Lily laughs as Molly glares and Hermione snorts.

"**Yes, Headmaster," said Snape. **

"Just like an old dog," Harry mumbles as Sirius grins.

"**Good," said Dumbledore. "Then he should be up and about in no time… Derek, have you had any of the chipolatas? They're excellent." **

**The first-year boy went furiously red on being addressed directly by Dumbledore, and took the platter of sausages with trembling hands. **

"I'll still be nervous, too." Derek mumbles, blushing as many people look at him in surprise.

**Professor Trelawney behaved almost normally until the very end of Christmas dinner, two hours later. Full to bursting with Christmas dinner and still wearing their cracker hats, Harry and Ron got up first from the table and she shrieked loudly. **

"Oh, how wonderful." Sirius snorts.

"**My dears! Which of you left his seat first? Which?" **

"**Dunno," said Ron, looking uneasily at Harry. **

"**I doubt it will make much difference," said Professor McGonagall coldly, "unless a mad axe-man is waiting outside the doors to slaughter the first into the Entrance Hall." **

"You never know, Minnie," James grins as Lily's eyes go wide.

"James, don't joke about that!" Lily snaps surprised as James blushes and Sirius grins at his best friend's predicament.

**Even Ron laughed. Professor Trelawney looked highly affronted. **

"**Coming?" Harry said to Hermione. **

"**No," Hermione muttered. "I want a quick word with Professor McGonagall." **

"Hermione, you didn't?" James says, unsure if he should gasp or narrow his eyes, not wanting to upset the young female he's come to see as his daughter.

"Sort of," She mumbles as James flinches.

"**Probably trying to see if she can take any more classes," yawned Ron as they make their way into the Entrance Hall, which was completely devoid of mad axe-men. **

"Well, that's good," Remus snorts.

**When they reached the portrait hole they found Sir Cadogan enjoying a Christmas party with a couple of monks, several previous headmasters of Hogwarts and his fat pony. He pushed up his visor toasted them with a flagon of mead. **

"**Merry — hic — Christmas! Password?" **

"Seriously?"

"Yep."

"**Scurvy cur," said Ron. **

"**And the same to you, sir!" roared Sir Cadogan, as the painting swung forward to admit them. **

**Harry went straight up to the dormitory, collected his Firebolt and the Broomstick Servicing Kit Hermione had given him for his birthday, brought them downstairs and tried to find something to do with the Firebolt; however, there where no bent twigs to clip, and the handle was so shiny already it seemed pointless to polish it. He and Ron simply sat admiring it from every angle, until the portrait hole opened, and Hermione came in, accompanied by Professor McGonagall. **

Many people's eyes widened when they realized what Hermione had done, and all had turned towards her, surprised to see her hiding behind Harry's arm, as he rubbed her shoulders.

"She stands by what she did – and I'm glad she does," Harry mutters, glaring at everyone as they nod their heads.

**Though Professor McGonagall was Head of Gryffindor House, Harry had only seen her in the common room once before, and that had been to make a very grave announcement. He and Ron stared at her, both holding the Firebolt. Hermione walked around them, sat down, picked up the nearest book and hid her face behind it. **

"Oh, Hermione," James says, feeling sorry for the young girl.

"**So that's it, is it?" said Professor McGonagall beadily, walking over to the fireside and staring at the Firebolt. "Miss Granger has just informed me that you have been sent a broomstick, Potter." **

**Harry and Ron looked around at Hermione. They could see her forehead reddening over the top of her book, which was upside-down. **

"Smooth, darling," James snorts.

"**May I?" said Professor McGonagall, but she didn't wait for an answer before pulling the Firebolt out of their hands.**

"Careful, woman." James flinches as Minerva glares.

**She examined it carefully from handle to twig-ends. "Hmm. And there was no note at all, Potter? No card? No message of any kind?" **

"**No," said Harry blankly. **

"**I see…" said Professor McGonagall. "Well, I'm afraid I will have to take this, Potter."**

Even though many people saw it coming, their mouths still opened in surprise, eyes wide.

"**W — what?" said Harry, scrambling to his feet. "Why?" **

"Our reactions, exactly." Fred mutters.

"**It will need to be checked for jinxes," said Professor McGonagall. "Of course, I'm no expert, but I daresay Madam Hooch and Professor Flitwick will strip it down —" **

"STRIP. IT. DOWN?" James mutters, shock in his voice as Hermione flinches once more and even Sirius looks down, anger and sadness in his eyes.

"I really am sorry, you—"

"Hermione, stop." Sirius sighs, running his fingers through his hair that reminds everyone of Harry doing the same thing.

"**Strip it down?" repeated Ron, as though Professor McGonagall was mad. **

"**It shouldn't take more than a few weeks," said Professor McGonagall. "You will have it back if we are sure it is jinx-free."**

"**There's nothing wrong with it!" said Harry, his voice shaking slightly. "Honestly, Professor —" **

"**You can't know that, Potter," said Professor McGonagall, quite kindly, "not until you've flown it, at any rate, and I'm afraid that is out of the question until we are certain that it has not been tampered with. I shall keep you informed." **

**Professor McGonagall turned on her heel and carried the Firebolt out of the portrait hole, which closed behind her. Harry stood staring after her, the tin of High-Finish Polish still clutched in his hands. Ron, however, rounded on Hermione. **

"_**What did you go running to McGonagall for?**_**" **

"Not good, mate." Charlie mutters as Bill nods his head.

**Hermione threw her book aside. She was still pink in the face, but stood up and faced Ron defiantly. **

"**Because I thought — and Professor McGonagall agrees with me — that that broom was probably sent to Harry by Sirius Black!"**

"What an ending," Sirius mutters, flinching as Harry smiles apologetically at him and Hermione lets out a small sob.

"Hey, it's alright." Harry whispers, stroking her shoulder. Ron grimaces as he hears Hermione's sobs and looks down.

"Alright, who's next?" He says, eyes wide as he fumbles with his fingers.


	51. Chapter 51

**Author's Note**: Wow, two updates within a span of a few days. It's a miracle, no? Aha, well, no, not actually xD. I plan on updating more regularly now, all of my stories. But mostly this one, as it's still my baby! This chapter will spring forth a few one-shots for the future - don't know when, but they will come! Some things may seem OOC, and I'm sorry about that. The conversations were really hard for me this time around, so I definitely hope you enjoy the chapter! I hope you enjoy this chapter, as I enjoy reading your reviews! Also, I'm currently working on a website for the story to be posted on - just in case. I'll let you know when it's near completion!

* * *

"I think we should take a small break!" James says before anyone can say they want to read the next chapter. When many people look towards James in confusion, Sirius and Lily included, the older man shrugs and looks down.

"I kind of want to talk to Sirius about something," He replies, shrugging once more as Sirius arches an eyebrow in confusion and looks at his best friend closely, before remembering James mentioning something about wanting to talk to him.

When James gets up suddenly, Sirius is briefly surprised before he himself stands up and stretches, catching a glimpse of Harry's confused face.

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," Sirius says smiling softly before walking over to James, talking briefly and then leaving with his best friend as Harry turns to Remus.

"Harry, I'm sure things are going to be fine," Remus says before Harry can open his mouth. He nods and stands up himself before grabbing Hermione's hand and taking her for a stroll to the fountain outside. They sat at the fountain for a few minutes before Harry sighed and pulled his girlfriend

towards him.

"You still feel guilty," He whispers into her hair, feeling her nod her head a few minutes later.

"I know you've said you've forgiven me but sometimes I feel like you shouldn't," Hermione whispers, wiping her eyes.

"And I have. What I don't understand is why you won't forgive yourself? You did what you did because you were trying to protect me from what you thought could cause me harm," Harry replies, running his fingers through his hair and sighing briefly.

"I don't know," Hermione replies meekly, putting her head into her hands before continuing, "Maybe because you guys were my first friends and while I knew Ron and I would be fighting a lot due to our clashing personalities, I never figured that me and you would fight—" Hermione rushes, catching a breath afterwards. Harry's face scrunches up slightly as he takes it all in, and he turns his body towards his girlfriend, taking in her face and the dried tear tracks from earlier.

"'Mione, I've grown up since then," He whispers, rubbing his thumb against her cheek as she moves into it, closing her eyes at the feeling.

"I know, I really do, but sometimes I just can't help but think—" She hiccoughs, smiling slightly when Harry kisses her softly on the lips. He continues to kiss her for a good ten minutes before being pushed away by a blushing Hermione.

"As much as I would love to continue this," She says, peppering kisses all around his face while laughing, "We should probably get back inside. Our half hour is almost up," She finishes as Harry wraps his arms around her waist and groans.

"I really don't want to, though."

"Harry," She laughs, pushing him away again when he started kissing her for real this time. He stops, laughing and kissing her once more before grabbing her hand and holding it.

"Alright, let's go." He sighs, a smirk planted on his face, one that if any of the professors saw, would be reminded instantly of James.

By the time Harry and Hermione had arrived back at the Great Hall, it seemed that everybody else had already arrived, causing Harry to stutter in embarrassment when James and Sirius grinned at Harry.

"So, who is reading the next chapter?" Hermione laughs, sitting on the couch next to Lily, who grins and shakes her head.

"I am!" James grins, opening the book with excitement, which quickly fades at the title.

**"CHAPTER TWELVE, The Patronus "**

"Why does he need a patronus?" Lily murmurs as Sirius laughs.

"He doesn't," Remus interrupts.

**Harry knew that Hermione had meant well, but that didn't stop him from being angry with her. **

"It makes sense, but c'mon, it's a broom!" James interrupts himself as Lily rolls her eyes with a smile.

**He had been the owner of the best broom in the world for a few short hours, and now, because of her interference, he didn't know whether he would ever see it again. He was positive that there was nothing wrong with the Firebolt now, but what sort of state would it be in once it had been subjected to all sorts of anti-jinx tests? **

"I supposed you wouldn't have actually known how a strip would work, Potter," Minerva says, angry at herself for not explaining it better at the time.

**Ron was furious with Hermione too. As far as he was concerned, the stripping-down of a brand-new Firebolt was nothing less than criminal damage.**

"That's a little harsh," Bill mutters, an eyebrow cocked.

**Hermione, who remained convinced that she had acted for the best, started avoiding the common room. Harry and Ron supposed she had taken refuge in the library and didn't try to persuade her to come back. **

"Harry James Sirius Potter," Sirius snaps surprisingly, causing Harry to flinch and grimace. Many people looked over at the old prisoner in surprise, eyes wide.

**All in all, they were glad when the rest of the school returned shortly after New Year, and Gryffindor Tower became crowded and noisy again. Wood sought Harry out on the night before term started. **

"Oh great, quidditch stuff," Lily snorts, rolling her eyes in a joking matter as James grins and continues reading,

"**Had a good Christmas?" he said, and then, without waiting for an answer, he sat down, lowered his voice, and said, "I've been, doing some thinking over Christmas, Harry. After last match, you know. If the Dementors come to the next one… I mean… we can't afford you to — well —" **

"Seriously, Wood?" Someone says, shaking their head as some people sigh, not surprised at all.

**Wood broke off, looking awkward. **

"Well, at least he realizes the topic is something awkward," Lily snorts.

"**I'm working on it," said Harry quickly. "Professor Lupin said he'd train me to ward off the Dementors. We should be starting this week. He said he'd have time after Christmas." **

"**Ah," said Wood, his expression clearing. "Well, in that case — I really didn't want to lose you as Seeker, Harry. And have you ordered a new broom yet?" **

"He didn't need to it was given to him!" James interrupts himself, bouncing up and down.

"And then taken away," Ginny snaps back, bitter at Hermione for doing that and causing it to show, as James arches an eyebrow and the room remains quiet over the fact that Ginny just _snapped _at James fucking Potter.

Nothing is more surprising however, when he continues on without saying anything.

"**No," said Harry. **

"What, why-?" Many people shout in surprise as Sirius rolls his eyes and Lily laughs.

"Well, obviously, he figured the broom was as good as gone, and didn't want to get anyone's hopes up," She replies as many people oh to themselves.

"**What! You'd better get a move on, you know — you can't ride that Shooting Star against Ravenclaw!" **

"**He got a Firebolt for Christmas," said Ron. **

Many groans around the room could be heard, heads slamming on the tables or hands in true facepalm fashion.

"Honestly Ronald," Hermione groans to herself.

"**A **_**Firebolt**_**? No! Seriously? A — a real **_**Firebolt**_**?" **

"**Don't get excited, Oliver," said Harry gloomily. "I haven't got it anymore. It was confiscated." And he explained all about how the Firebolt was now being checked for jinxes. **

"**Jinxed? How could it be jinxed?" **

"**Sirius Black," Harry said wearily. "He's supposed to be after me. So McGonagall reckons he might have sent it." **

"Aha, well," Sirius chuckles as Lily snorts and James grins whilst shaking his head.

"Of course, Pads, of course."

**Waving aside the information that a famous murderer was after his Seeker, Wood said, "But Black couldn't have bought a Firebolt! He's on the run! The whole country's on the lookout for him! How could he just walk into Quality Quidditch Supplies and buy a broomstick?" **

"Clearly, he didn't," Minerva snorts, before tilting her head and looking at her previous pupil in confusion as he smiles.

"I'm part of a Noble line, Minerva. How else?" He replies.

**"I know," said Harry, "but McGonagall still wants to strip it down —" **

**Wood went pale. **

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure every quidditch fanatic did," Hermione snorts as Lily nods her head in understanding.

"**I'll go and talk to her, Harry," he promised. "I'll make her see reason… A Firebolt… a real Firebolt, on our team… She wants Gryffindor to win as much as we do… I'll make her see sense. A **_**Firebolt…" **_

"I did want Gryffindor to win, but not at the safety of one of my pupils!" Minerva snapped, crossing her arms.

**Classes started again the next day. The last thing anyone felt like doing was spending two hours on the grounds on a raw January morning, but Hagrid had provided a bonfire full of salamanders for their enjoyment, and they spent an unusually good lesson collecting dry wood and leaves to keep the fire blazing while the flame-loving lizards scampered up and down the crumbling, white-hot logs.**

"That does sound nice," Some of the younger students sigh.

**The first Divination lesson of the new term was much less fun; Professor Trelawney was now teaching them palmistry, and she lost no time in informing Harry that he had the shortest life line she had ever seen. **

"Oh, back off," Sirius snorts, a shake of his head and roll of his eyes indicating his thoughts as Harry grins and moves to sit closer to his godfather.

**It was Defense Against the Dark Arts that Harry was keen to get to; after his conversation with Wood, he wanted to get started on his anti-Dementor lessons as soon as possible. **

"Why in Merlin's beard don't you show this much enthusiasm for learning in your regular classes?" Minerva groans.

"**Ah yes," said Lupin, when Harry reminded him of his promise at the end of class. "Let me see… how about eight o'clock on Thursday evening? The History of Magic classroom should be large enough… I'll have to think carefully about how we're going to do this… We can't bring a real Dementor into the castle to practice on…" **

"I would fucking hope not!" Sirius interrupts, eyes wide as he moves closer to his godson in protector mode. Harry snorts and Remus shakes his head, laughing himself.

"**Still looks ill, doesn't he?" said Ron as they walked down the corridor, heading to dinner. **

"**What d'you reckon's the matter with him?" **

**There was a loud and impatient "tuh" from behind them.**

"Eh, sorry," Hermione blushes with a giggle as Harry smirks.

**It was Hermione, who had been sitting at the feet of a suit of armor, repacking her bag, which was so full of books it wouldn't close. **

"**And what are you tutting at us for?" said Ron irritably. **

"Ugh," Harry moans, a wince on his face.

"**Nothing," said Hermione in a lofty voice, heaving her bag back over her shoulder. **

"**Yes, you were," said Ron. "I said I wonder what's wrong with Lupin, and you —" **

"**Well, isn't it **_**obvious**_**?" said Hermione, with a look of maddening superiority. **

"Was it really?"

"Yes," both Hermione and Lily say, laughing with one another over their response as Remus pouts.

"**If you don't want to tell us, don't," snapped Ron. **

"**Fine," said Hermione haughtily, and she marched off. **

"Oy vey," James mutters, shaking his head slightly before continuing.

"**She doesn't know," said Ron, staring resentfully after Hermione. "She's just trying to get us to talk to her again." **

"I would do no such thing!" Hermione snaps aghast, as Harry kissed her lightly, whispering that they know that.

**At eight o'clock on Thursday evening, Harry left Gryffindor Tower for the History of Magic classroom. It was dark and empty when he arrived, but he lit the lamps with his wand and had waited only five minutes when Professor Lupin turned up, carrying a large packing case, which he heaved onto Professor Binn's desk. **

"**What's that?" said Harry. **

"**Another Boggart," said Lupin, stripping off his cloak. "I've been combing the castle ever since Tuesday, and very luckily, I found this one lurking inside Mr. Filch's filing cabinet.**

"You were inside Filch's office?" Sirius interrupts, eyes wide as James stops reading.

"For a reason not dealing with trouble?"

"Or pranking?"

"Or causing mayhem?" The two finish together, in true Weasley twin fashion as many people laugh.

"Correct," Remus smirks, shaking his head.

**It's the nearest we'll get to a real Dementor. The Boggart will turn into a Dementor when he sees you, so we'll be able to practice on him. I can store him in my office when we're not using him; there's a cupboard under my desk he'll like." **

"Let's not mention cupboards under anything right now," Sirius mutters as Harry smiles slightly.

"**Okay," said Harry, trying to sound as though he wasn't apprehensive at all and merely glad that Lupin had found such a good substitute for a real Dementor.**

"Harry, you are a horrible liar," Remus snorts as Harry blushes.

"No I'm not!"

"Okay, you're not. But I did know you were apprehensive."

"**So…" Professor Lupin had taken out his own wand, and indicated that Harry should do the same. "The spell I am going to try and teach you is highly advanced magic, Harry — well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. It is called the Patronus Charm." **

"**How does it work?" said Harry nervously. **

"**Well, when it works correctly, It conjures up a Patronus," said Lupin, "which is a kind of anti-Dementor — a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the Dementor." **

"Harry, have you happen to tell Sirius and Remus that—"

"Nope," Harry interrupts his girlfriend, looking at her with his 'please be quiet' look that she understood immediately. It wasn't that he didn't want to discuss what had happened with his patronus, it was the fact that he was worried about the reaction he would get when he brought it up. And he certainly didn't want everyone seeing said reaction.

**Harry had a sudden vision of himself crouching behind a Hagrid-sized figure holding a large club.**

Many people tilted their heads to the side before James and Sirius burst out into laughter. Harry blushed and shrugged, looking down briefly.

**Professor Lupin continued, "The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the Dementor feeds upon — hope, happiness, the desire to survive — but it cannot feel despair, as real humans can, so the Dementors can't hurt it. But I must warn you, Harry, that the charm might be too advanced for you. Many qualified wizards have difficulty with it." **

"Can we just – _most qualified wizards have difficulty with it_," Hermione interrupts, emphasizing the last bit, "Remember that part by the end of the book, okay?"

"**What does a Patronus look like?" said Harry curiously. **

"**Each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it." **

"**And how do you conjure it?" **

"**With an incantation, which will work only if you are concentrating, with all your might, on a single, very happy memory." **

"It's funny, but I think my tries never worked because I never really had anything to be happy about," Harry whispers as a thought as Hermione looks at him sadly and kisses him on the cheek.

"Well, you do now," She replies.

**Harry cast his mind about for a happy memory. Certainly, nothing that had happened to him at the Dursleys' was going to do. Finally, he settled on the moment when he had first ridden a broomstick. **

James stopped reading here, biting his lip as he didn't want to say his thoughts out loud. He looked towards his wife, who was looking at him already. With a small nod, he knew they were both thinking the same thing – there was no way that memory would work.

"**Right," he said, trying to recall as exactly as possible the wonderful, soaring sensation of his stomach. **

"**The incantation is this —" Lupin cleared his throat. "**_**Expecto patronum**_**!" **

"**Expecto patronum," Harry repeated under his breath, "expecto patronum." **

"**Concentrating hard on your happy memory?" **

"It won't work." Lily mutters, shaking her head slightly.

"**Oh — yeah —" said Harry, quickly forcing his thoughts back to that first broom ride. **

"Smooth, Potter," Snape snorts as James clenches his fists.

"**Expecto patrono — no, patronum — sorry — expecto patronum, expecto patronum" **

**Something whooshed suddenly out of the end of his wand; it looked like a wisp of silvery gas. **

"**Did you see that?" said Harry excitedly. "Something happened!" **

"Oh. That's – that's unexpected." James mutters, shaking his head in disappointment at himself.

"**Very good," said Lupin, smiling. "Right, then — ready to try it on a Dementor?" **

"**Yes," Harry said, gripping his wand very tightly, and moving into the middle of the deserted classroom. He tried to keep his mind on flying, but something else kept intruding… Any second now, he might hear his mother again… but he shouldn't think that, or he **_**would **_**hear her again, and he didn't want to… or did he? **

"Oh," Lily says surprised, blinking a little.

"You never mentioned—" Hermione begins before snapping her mouth shut and looking down slightly.

"It sucks, doesn't it?" Harry replies.

**Lupin grasped the lid of the packing case and pulled. **

**A Dementor rose slowly from the box, its hooded face turned toward Harry, one glistening, scabbed hand gripping its cloak. The lamps around the classroom flickered and went out. The Dementor stepped from the box and started to sweep silently toward Harry, drawing a deep, rattling breath. A wave of piercing cold broke over him — **

"_**Expecto patronum**_**!" Harry yelled. "**_**Expecto patronum**_**! **_**Expecto **_**—" **

**But the classroom and the Dementor were dissolving… Harry was falling again through thick white fog, and his mother's voice was louder than ever, echoing inside his head — "**_**Not Harry! Not Harry! Please — I'll do anything —" **_

Many people flinched at this line, looking down, not knowing what it was like to hear their parents dying. Well, except for Neville, who never told anyone what he heard when the Dementors were near, but Harry had guessed anyways.

"Yeah, it does." Neville admits quietly, as many turn to him if they were close.

"_**Stand aside — stand aside, girl —" **_

"_**Harry!" **_

**Harry jerked back to life. He was lying flat on his back on the floor. The classroom lamps were alight again. He didn't have to ask what had happened. **

"You most certainly did not," Remus mutters with a sigh as Harry hides slightly in Sirius' shoulder.

"**Sorry," he muttered, sitting up and feeling cold sweat trickling down behind his glasses. **

"I hate when you apologize for something that isn't your fault," Hermione groans, crossing her arms across her chest as Harry smirks.

"**Are you all right?" said Lupin. **

**"Yes…" Harry pulled himself up on one of the desks and leaned against it. **

"**Here —" Lupin handed him a Chocolate Frog. "Eat this before we try again. I didn't expect you to do it your first time; in fact, I would have been astounded if you had." **

"I really would've been," Remus snorts.

"**It's getting worse," Harry muttered, biting off the Frog's head. "I could hear her louder that time — and him — Voldemort —" **

**Lupin looked paler than usual. **

"Note to Harry, stop talking about it," Sirius snorts, shaking his head as he drags his godson closer.

"**Harry, if you don't want to continue, I will more than understand —" **

"Remus," James and Lily groan as Remus looks down with a smirk, "You know not to say something like that to a _Potter_." James finishes.

"**I do!" said Harry fiercely, stuffing the rest of the Chocolate Frog into his mouth. "I've got to! What if the Dementors turn up at our match against Ravenclaw? I can't afford to fall off again. If we lose this game we've lost the Quidditch Cup!" **

"What is it with men and bloody quidditch?" A few females groan as the guys laugh.

"**All right then…" said Lupin. "You might want to select another memory, a happy memory, I mean, to concentrate on… That one doesn't seem to have been strong enough…" **

**Harry thought hard and decided his feelings when Gryffindor had won the House **

**Championship last year had definitely qualified as very happy. He gripped his wand tightly again and took up his position in the middle of the classroom. **

"That's not good enough either," Lily whispers, biting her lip while wishing her son had way happier memories he could choose from. Stupid rat, she thinks, glaring at said rat who has flinched back.

"**Ready?" said Lupin, gripping the box lid. **

"**Ready," said Harry; trying hard to fill his head with happy thoughts about Gryffindor winning, and not dark thoughts about what was going to happen when the box opened. **

"**Go!" said Lupin, pulling off the lid. The room went icily cold and dark once more. The Dementor glided forward, drawing its breath; one rotting hand was extending toward Harry — **

"**Expecto patronum!" Harry yelled. "Expecto patronum! Expecto Pat —" **

**White fog obscured his senses… big, blurred shapes were moving around him… then came a new voice, a man's voice, shouting, panicking — **

"Oh shit," James interrupts himself, gasping in surprise and dropping the book.

"_**Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off —" **_

_**The sounds of someone stumbling from a room — a door bursting open — a cackle of high- pitched laughter — **_

The room stayed silent, realizing that Harry had just heard his father, heard his father's last words. Sirius, having not known this, had grasped Harry tighter towards his side and had been mumbling something. After listening hard to it, Harry realized the mumbling was 'how do you not hate me' and he instantly slapped his god-father.

"What the?"

"Stop. Blaming. Yourself."

"**Harry! Harry… wake up…" **

**Lupin was tapping Harry hard on the face.**

"Really, Remus?" James snorts, trying not to show how uncomfortable he felt not being able to be with his son right then and there.

**This time it was a minute before Harry understood why he was lying on a dusty classroom floor. **

"Never did say you were intelligent," Snape goads as Harry rolls his eyes.

"**I heard my dad," Harry mumbled. "That's the first time I've ever heard him — he tried to take on Voldemort himself, to give my mum time to run for it…" **

"Harry, please stop." Lily cries as she wraps her arms around her knees and Sirius rubs her back for comfort.

**Harry suddenly realized that there were tears on his face mingling with the sweat. He bent his face as low as possible, wiping them off on his robes, pretending to do up his shoelace, so that Lupin wouldn't see. **

Some people snorted, Remus included as Harry blushed.

"**You heard James?" said Lupin in a strange voice. **

"**Yeah…" Face dry, Harry looked up. "Why — you didn't know my dad, did you?" **

"Strike what number is that Remus?"

"Shh," Remus replies, a small smirk playing on his face as James rolls his eyes.

"**I — I did, as a matter of fact," said Lupin. "We were friends at Hogwarts. Listen, Harry — perhaps we should leave it here for tonight. This charm is ridiculously advanced… I shouldn't have suggested putting you through this…" **

"**No!" said Harry. He got up again. "I'll have one more go! I'm not thinking of happy enough things, that's what it is… hang on…" **

**He racked his brains. A really, really happy memory… one that he could turn into a good, strong Patronus… **

**The moment when he'd first found out he was a wizard, and would be leaving the Dursleys for Hogwarts! If that wasn't a happy memory, he didn't know what was… **

"Literally," Harry snorts from Sirius' side, having moved from his girlfriend completely.

**Concentrating very hard on how he had felt when he'd realized he'd be leaving Privet Drive, Harry got to his feet and faced the packing case once more. **

"**Ready?" said Lupin, who looked as though he were doing this against his better judgment. **

"Because I was,"

"**Concentrating hard? All right — go!" **

**He pulled off the lid of the case for the third time, and the Dementor rose out of it; the room fell cold and dark — **

"**EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry bellowed. "EXPECTO PATRONUM! EXPECTO PATRONUM!" **

**The screaming inside Harry's head had started again — except this time, it sounded as though it were coming from a badly tuned radio — softer and louder and softer again… and he could still see the Dementor… it had halted… and then a huge, silver shadow came bursting out of the end of Harry's wand, to hover between him and the Dementor, and though Harry's legs felt like water, he was still on his feet — though for how much longer, he wasn't sure… **

"WHOO HOO!" James interrupts, surprising people with his excitement as a few people laugh.

"**Riddikulus!" roared Lupin, springing forward. **

**There was a loud crack, and Harry's cloudy Patronus vanished along with the Dementor; he sank into a chair, feeling as exhausted as if he'd just run a mile, and felt his legs shaking. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Professor Lupin forcing the Boggart back into the packing case with his wand; it had turned into a silvery orb again. **

"You are so obvious, Moon." Lily snorts, shaking her head as Hermione laughs.

"**Excellent!" Lupin said, striding over to where Harry sat. "Excellent, Harry! That was definitely a start!" **

"**Can we have another go? Just one more go?" **

"**Not now," said Lupin firmly. "You've had enough for one night. Here —" **

**He handed Harry a large bar of Honeydukes' best chocolate. **

"**Eat the lot, or Madam Pomfrey will be after my blood. Same time next week?" **

"**Okay," said Harry. He took a bite of the chocolate and watched Lupin extinguishing the lamps that had rekindled with the disappearance of the Dementor. A thought had just occurred to him. **

"This isn't a good thought, is it?" Sirius snorts as Harry blushes.

"**Professor Lupin?" he said. "If you knew my dad, you must've known Sirius Black as well." **

**Lupin turned very quickly. **

"It was…surprising. I tried very hard not to think about Sirius."

"Must've been hard, being in the place that held most of our memories," Sirius snorts.

"**What gives you that idea?" he said sharply. **

"**Nothing — I mean, I just knew they were friends at Hogwarts too…" Lupin's face relaxed. **

"**Yes, I knew him," he said shortly. "Or I thought I did. You'd better be off, Harry, it's getting late." **

**Harry left the classroom, walking along the corridor and around a corner, then took a detour behind a suit of armor and sank down on its plinth to finish his chocolate, wishing he hadn't mentioned Black, as Lupin was obviously not keen on the subject. Then Harry's thoughts wandered back to his mother and father… **

James and Lily smiled sadly at one another, before continuing with the book.

**He felt drained and strangely empty, even though he was so full of chocolate. Terrible though it was to hear his parents' last moments replayed inside his head, these were the only times Harry had heard their voices since he was a very small child. But he'd never be able to produce a proper Patronus if he half wanted to hear his parents again… **

"**They're dead," he told himself sternly. "They're dead and listening to echoes of them won't bring them back. You'd better get a grip on yourself if you want that Quidditch Cup." **

"Here here!" Someone shouts as a few people glare.

**He stood up, crammed the last bit of chocolate into his mouth, and headed back to Gryffindor Tower. **

**Ravenclaw played Slytherin a week after the start of term. Slytherin won, though narrowly. According to Wood, this was good news for Gryffindor, who would take second place if they beat Ravenclaw too. He therefore increased the number of team practices to five a week. This meant that with Lupin's anti-Dementor classes, which in themselves were more draining than six Quidditch practices, Harry had just one night a week to do all his homework. Even so, he was not showing the strain nearly as much as Hermione, whose immense workload finally seemed to be getting to her. **

"Oh finally!" James snorts, being reminded too much of his own wife under duress.

**Every night, without fail, Hermione was to be seen in a corner of the common room, several tables spread with books, Arithmancy charts, rune dictionaries, diagrams of Muggles lifting heavy objects, and file upon file of extensive notes; she barely spoke to anybody and snapped when she was interrupted. **

"**How's she doing it?" Ron muttered to Harry one evening as Harry sat finishing a nasty essay on Undetectable Poisons for Snape. Harry looked up. Hermione was barely visible behind a tottering pile of books. **

"Well Ronald,"

"You take off clothes,"

"You do a little kissing"

"You take off more clothes,"

"You put your hand down—"

"BOYS!" Molly shouts as Lily giggles.

"**Doing what?" **

"**Getting to all her classes!" Ron said. "I heard her talking to Professor Vector, that Arithmancy witch, this morning. They were going on about yesterday's lesson, but Hermione can't've been there, because she was with us in Care of Magical Creatures! And Ernie McMillan told me she's never missed a Muggle Studies class, but half of them are at the same time as Divination, and she's never missed one of them either!" **

"This is really kind of obvious, now that I think about it," James laughs, shaking his head in humor.

**Harry didn't have time to fathom the mystery of Hermione's impossible schedule at the moment; he really needed to get on with Snape's essay. Two seconds later, however, he was interrupted again, this time by Wood. **

"Harry, by Merlin's beard, thinking about Snape better not be interrupted more often than not by fricken Wood," James smirks as Harry flushes and gags, causing Lily to giggle some more.

"**Bad news, Harry. I've just been to see Professor McGonagall about the Firebolt. She — er — got a bit shirty with me. Told me I'd got my priorities wrong. Seemed to think I cared more about winning the Cup than I do about you staying alive. Just because I told her I didn't care if it threw you off, as long as you caught the Snitch first." Wood shook his head in disbelief. **

James stopped reading at that point, shaking his head and trying not to laugh at the young captain.

"**Honestly, the way she was yelling at me… you'd think I'd said something terrible. Then I asked her how much longer she was going to keep it…" He screwed up his face and imitated Professor McGonagall's severe voice. "As long as necessary, Wood"… I reckon it's time you ordered a new broom, Harry. There's an order form at the back of **_**Which Broomstick**_**… you could get a Nimbus Two Thousand and One, like Malfoy's got." **

"**I'm not buying anything Malfoy thinks is good," said Harry flatly. **

"Amen."

**January faded imperceptibly into February, with no change in the bitterly cold weather. The match against Ravenclaw was drawing nearer and nearer, but Harry still hadn't ordered a new broom. He was now asking Professor McGonagall for news of the Firebolt after every Transfiguration lesson, Ron standing hopefully at his shoulder, Hermione rushing past with her face averted. **

"It was quite a bother," Minerva snorts.

"**No, Potter, you can't have it back yet," Professor McGonagall told him the twelfth time this happened, before he'd even opened his mouth. "We've checked for most of the usual curses, but Professor Flitwick believes the broom might be carrying a Hurling Hex. I shall **_**tell **_**you once we've finished checking it. Now, please stop badgering me."**

"Oh, Minnie." Sirius snorts, shaking his head.

**To make matters even worse, Harry's anti-Dementor lessons were not going nearly as well as he had hoped. Several sessions on, he was able to produce an indistinct, silvery shadow every time the Boggart-Dementor approached him, but his Patronus was too feeble to drive the Dementor away. All it did was hover, like a semitransparent cloud, draining Harry of energy as he fought to keep it there. Harry felt angry with himself, guilty about his secret desire to hear his parents' voices again. **

"Harry, you had no reason to feel guilty about that," Sirius says quietly as Harry sighs slightly and shrugs his shoulders imperceptibly.

"**You're expecting too much of yourself," said Professor Lupin, sternly in their fourth week of practice. "For a thirteen-year-old wizard, even an indistinct Patronus is a huge achievement. You aren't passing out anymore, are you?" **

"**I thought a Patronus would — charge the Dementors down or something," said Harry dispiritedly. "Make them disappear —"**

"**The true Patronus does do that," said Lupin. "But you've achieved a great deal in a very short space of time. If the Dementors put in an appearance at your next Quidditch match, you will be able to keep them at bay long enough to get back to the ground." **

"**You said it's harder if there are loads of them," said Harry. **

"**I have complete confidence in you," said Lupin, smiling. "Here — you've earned a drink. Something from the Three Broomsticks. You won't have tried it before —" **

**He pulled two bottles out of his briefcase. **

"REMUS!" Lily groans, trying not to laugh at her friends guilty face.

"**Butterbeer!" said Harry, without thinking. "Yeah, I like that stuff!" **

"HARRY!" James and Sirius groan as Remus laughs.

**Lupin raised an eyebrow. **

"**Oh — Ron and Hermione brought me some back from Hogsmeade," Harry lied quickly. **

"Oh god," Lily snorts.

"**I see," said Lupin, though he still looked slightly suspicious.**

"Because you're your father's son. I definitely was slightly suspicious." Remus snorts.

"**Well — let's drink to a Gryffindor victory against Ravenclaw! Not that I'm supposed to take sides, as a teacher…" he added hastily. **

"Like that stops other teachers," Minerva snorts.

**They drank the butterbeer in silence, until Harry voiced something he'd been wondering for a while. **

"**What's under a Dementor's hood?" **

"Huh. Never would've thought of asking that," James says as Sirius shudders.

**Professor Lupin lowered his bottle thoughtfully. "Hmmm… well, the only people who really know are in no condition to tell us. You see, the Dementor lowers its hood only to use its last and worst weapon." **

"**What's that?" **

"**They call it the Dementor's Kiss," said Lupin, with a slightly twisted smile. "It's what Dementors do to those they wish to destroy utterly. I suppose there must be some kind of mouth under there, because they clamp their jaws upon the mouth of the victim and — and suck out his soul." **

**Harry accidentally spat out a bit of butterbeer. **

"A most common occurrence," Someone sighs.

"**What — they kill —?" **

"**Oh no," said Lupin. "Much worse than that. You can exist without your soul, you know, as long as your brain and heart are still working. But you'll have no sense of self anymore, no memory, no… anything. There's no chance at all of recovery. You'll just exist. As an empty shell. And your soul is gone forever… lost." **

"One of the worst things to see, let alone hear, and no doubt, experience." Sirius whispers, shuddering.

**Lupin drank a little more butterbeer, then said, "It's the fate that awaits Sirius Black. It was in the **_**Daily Prophet **_**this morning. The Ministry have given the Dementors permission to perform it if they find him." **

James stopped reading at this point, opening and closing his mouth in surprise before slamming the book shut and breathing heavily.

"Sweetie?" Lily questions hesitantly.

"Sorry, it's just - that infuriates me." He replies, shaking himself out of a stupor and reopening the book.

**Harry sat stunned for a moment at the idea of someone having their soul sucked out through their mouth. But then he thought of Black. **

"**He deserves it," he said suddenly. **

Sirius flinches suddenly, pulling away from his godson self-consciously as Harry's eyes go wide and he goes towards his godson.

"Okay, you know I don't meant that now, Siri." Harry says, hugging his godfather as he doesn't respond.

"I know, it's just—"

"I'm so sorry,"

"No, it's okay,"

"No it's not. I wanted you dead." Harry snaps, tears on his face as Sirius hugs him. It's minutes later that James continues reading, although hesitantly.

"**You think so?" said Lupin lightly. "Do you really think anyone deserves that?" **

"**Yes," said Harry defiantly. "For… for some things…" **

**He would have liked to have told Lupin about the conversation he'd overheard about Black in the Three Broomsticks, about Black betraying his mother and father, but it would have involved revealing that he'd gone to Hogsmeade without permission, and he knew Lupin wouldn't be very impressed by that. So he finished his butterbeer, thanked Lupin, and left the History of Magic classroom. **

"Well, Remus tends to be a little hypocritical," James snorts, trying to make light of things.

**Harry half wished that he hadn't asked what was under a Dementor's hood, the answer had been so horrible, and he was so lost in unpleasant thoughts of what it would feel like to have your soul sucked out of you that he walked headlong into Professor McGonagall halfway up the stairs. **

People's eyes got wide and they sat up straighter in their seats, excitement coursing through their bodies.

"**Do watch where you're going, Potter!" **

"**Sorry, Professor —" **

"**I've just been looking for you in the Gryffindor common room, Well, here it is, we've done everything we could think of, and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it at all — you've got a very good friend somewhere, Potter…" **

"You mean godfather," Sirius winks, trying to get back into a good mood, alongside his godson who smiles.

**Harry's jaw dropped. She was holding out his Firebolt, and it looked as magnificent as ever. **

"Yes it did!"

"**I can have it back?" Harry said weakly. "Seriously?" **

"**Seriously," said Professor McGonagall, and she was actually smiling. **

"It reminded me of Sirius!"

"**I daresay you'll need to get the feel of it before Saturday's match, won't you? And Potter —**_**do **_**try and win, won't you? Or we'll be out of the running for the eighth year in a row, as Professor Snape was kind enough to remind me only last night…" **

"See, Minnie loves winning too!" James grins, bouncing his leg up and down!

**Speechless, Harry carried the Firebolt back upstairs toward Gryffindor Tower. As he turned a corner, he saw Ron dashing toward him, grinning from ear to ear. **

"**She gave it to you? Excellent! Listen, can I still have a go on it? Tomorrow?" **

"Seriously?" Lily laughs, shaking her head as James tilts his head and then shrugs.

"**Yeah… anything…" said Harry, his heart lighter than it had been in a month. "You know what — we should make up with Hermione… She was only trying to help…" **

"Of course Harry's the better person!" Hermione snorts as Harry squeezes her hand in appreciation.

"**Yeah, all right," said Ron.**

A few people blinked at this sentence, wondering why they thought those two would be perfect for one another when the opposite was clear.

"**She's in the common room now working — for a change." **

"How's that a change?"

**They turned into the corridor to Gryffindor Tower and saw Neville Longbottom, pleading with Sir Cadogan, who seemed to be refusing him entrance. **

"Oh oh,"

"**I wrote them down!" Neville was saying tearfully. "But I must've dropped them somewhere!" **

"**A likely tale!" roared Sir Cadogan. Then, spotting Harry and Ron: "Good even, my fine young yeomen! Come clap this loon in irons. He is trying to force entry to the chambers within!" **

"Neville, I must say, you have to stop losing things," Sirius says with a sigh and slight smirk as Neville blushes.

"**Oh, shut up," said Ron as he and Harry drew level with Neville. **

"**I've lost the passwords!" Neville told them miserably. "I made him tell me what passwords he was going to use this week, because he keeps changing them, and now I don't know what I've done with them!" **

"Why are you even changing them so often?" Someone mutters.

"**Oddsbodkins," said Harry to Sir Cadogan, who looked extremely disappointed and reluctantly swung forward to let them into the common room. There was a sudden, excited murmur as every head turned and the next moment, Harry was surrounded by people **

**exclaiming over his Firebolt. **

"**Where'd you get it, Harry?" **

"**Will you let me have a go?" **

"**Have you ridden it yet, Harry?" **

"**Ravenclaw'll have no chance, they're all on Cleansweep Sevens!" **

"**Can I just **_**hold **_**it, Harry?" **

**After ten minutes or so, during which the Firebolt was Passed around and admired from every angle, the crowd dispersed and Harry and Ron had a clear view of Hermione, the only person who hadn't rushed over to them, bent over her work and carefully avoiding their eyes. Harry and Ron approached her table and at last, she looked up. **

"**I got it back," said Harry, grinning at her and holding up the Firebolt. **

"**See, Hermione? There wasn't anything wrong with it!" said Ron. **

"**Well — there **_**might **_**have been!" said Hermione. "I mean, at least you know now that it's safe!" **

"That's my girl," Harry says quietly.

"**Yeah, I suppose so," said Harry. "I'd better put it upstairs." **

"**I'll take it!" said Ron eagerly. "I've got to give Scabbers his rat tonic." **

**He took the Firebolt and, holding it as if it were made of glass, carried it away up the boys' staircase. **

"**Can I sit down, then?" Harry asked Hermione. **

"Aw,"

"**I suppose so," said Hermione, moving a great stack of parchment off a chair. **

**Harry looked around at the cluttered table, at the long Arithmancy essay on which the ink was still glistening, at the even longer Muggle Studies essay ('Explain Why Muggles Need Electricity') and at the rune translation Hermione was now poring over. **

"**How are you getting through all this stuff?" Harry asked her. **

"**Oh, well — you know — working hard," said Hermione. Close-up, Harry saw that she looked almost as tired as Lupin. **

"Jeeze Harry, thanks." Hermione snorts as Harry blushes.

"**Why don't you just drop a couple of subjects?" Harry asked, watching her lifting books as she searched for her rune dictionary. **

"**I couldn't do that!" said Hermione, looking scandalized. **

"So much like Lily," James snorts.

"**Arithmancy looks terrible," said Harry, picking up a very complicated-looking number chart. **

"**Oh no, it's wonderful!" said Hermione earnestly. "It's my favorite subject! It's —" **

"I like that you let me talk!" Hermione interrupts, kissing Harry briefly on the lips before pulling back with a smile.

**But exactly what was wonderful about Arithmancy, Harry never found out. At that precise moment, a strangled yell echoed down the boys' staircase.**

"Huh?"

**The whole common room fell silent, staring, petrified, at the entrance. Then came hurried footsteps, growing louder and louder — and then Ron came leaping into view, dragging with him a bedsheet. **

"**LOOK!" he bellowed, striding over to Hermione's table. "LOOK!" he yelled, shaking the sheets in her face. **

"**Ron, what —?" **

"**SCABBERS! LOOK! SCABBERS!" **

"Okay, calm the fuck down." Bill snorts as Ron blushes.

**Hermione was leaning away from Ron, looking utterly bewildered. Harry looked down at the sheet Ron was holding. There was something red on it. Something that looked horribly like — **

"**BLOOD!" Ron yelled into the stunned silence. "HE'S GONE! AND YOU KNOW WHAT WAS ON THE FLOOR?" **

"Oh dear,"

"**N — no," said Hermione in a trembling voice. **

Harry suddenly slapped Ron's head Gibbs style as Ron flinched and went ow.

"What the hell, mate?"

"That's for making Hermione feel like shit all year!" He snorts.

**Ron threw something down onto Hermione's rune translation. Hermione and Harry leaned forward. Lying on top of the weird, spiky shapes were several long, ginger cat hairs.**

"Oh jeeze, please tell me this was another rat specialty setup?" James groans as Ron nods.

"Alright, whose reading next?" James asks as the book floats to Dumbledore.


	52. Chapter 52

**Author's Note**: This took longer to post, which I apologize for. I ended up trying to work on one of my other stories, received writers block and then did a few prompts for this Harry Potter community I'm a part of. I ended up ridding myself of the block, finished this and am already working on the next chapter. Hope y'all enjoy!

* * *

**"CH****HAPTER THIRTEEN Gryffindor Versus Ravenclaw" **Dumbledore began as James begins bouncing his knee in excitement.

"Finally!" James claps.

**It looked like the end of Ron and Hermione's friendship. Each was so angry with the other that Harry couldn't see how they'd ever make up. **

"I end up eating those words… a lot," Harry snorts, shaking his head as the two of them blush and Molly claps her hands.

"Because people meant for one another always fight!" She says, many people rolling their eyes.

**Ron was enraged that Hermione had never taken Crookshanks's attempts to eat Scabbers seriously, hadn't bothered to keep a close enough watch on him, and was still trying to pretend that Crookshanks was innocent by suggesting that Ron look for Scabbers under all the boys' beds. **

"Ronald!" Hermione interrupts, crossing her arms as Ron blushes.

"Right – sorry about that Hermione," He mumbles as Harry laughs.

**Hermione, meanwhile, maintained fiercely that Ron had no proof that Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers, that the ginger hairs might have been there since Christmas, and that Ron had been prejudiced against her cat ever since Crookshanks had landed on Ron's head in the Magical Menagerie. **

"Well, yeah, that is true." Luna mutters, shrugging slightly.

**Personally, Harry was sure that Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers, and when he tried to point out to Hermione that the evidence all pointed that way, she lost her temper with Harry too. **

Harry and Hermione cringed, shaking their own heads.

"**Okay, side with Ron, I knew you would!" she said shrilly. "First the Firebolt, now Scabbers, everything's my fault, isn't it! Just leave me alone, Harry, I've got a lot of work to do!" **

"Awh, don't fight!" James groans, mock pouting as Sirius laughs.

**Ron had taken the loss of his rat very hard indeed. **

"**Come on, Ron, you were always saying how boring Scabbers was," said Fred bracingly. "And he's been off-color for ages, he was wasting away. It was probably better for him to snuff it quickly — one swallow — he probably didn't feel a thing." **

"Ah, probably not. Cats do like to play with their food," Lily smirks.

"_**Fred**_**!" said Ginny indignantly. **

"**All he did was eat and sleep, Ron, you said it yourself," said George.**

"**He bit Goyle for us once!" Ron said miserably. "Remember, Harry?" **

"Okay, one time. Seriously?" Sirius snorts, shaking his head as Harry laughs.

"**Yeah, that's true," said Harry. **

"**His finest hour," said Fred, unable to keep a straight face. "Let the scar on Goyle's finger stand as a lasting tribute to his memory. Oh, come on, Ron, get yourself down to Hogsmeade and buy a new rat, what's the point of moaning?" **

"I kind of still agree with you, Fred." George says.

**In a last-ditch attempt to cheer Ron up, Harry persuaded him to come along to the Gryffindor team's final practice before the Ravenclaw match, so that he could have a ride on the Firebolt after they'd finished.**

"Ah, was it a beauty?" James asks, jumping slightly in his excitement.

**This did seem to take Ron's mind off Scabbers for a moment ("Great! Can I try and shoot a few goals on it?") so they set off for the Quidditch field together. **

"Well, how marvelous," Snape snarls, most people learning to ignore him by noq.

**Madam Hooch, who was still overseeing Gryffindor practices to keep an eye on Harry, was just as impressed with the Firebolt as everyone else had been. She took it in her hands before takeoff and gave them the benefit of her professional opinion. **

"Too right, I did!" Hooch shouts, punching the couch in her beliefs.**  
**

"**Look at the balance on it! If the Nimbus series has a fault, it's a slight list to the tail end — you often find they develop a drag after a few years. They've updated the handle too, a bit slimmer than the Cleansweeps, reminds me of the old Silver Arrows — a pity they've stopped making them. I learned to fly on one, and a very fine old broom it was too…" **

"Does she continue like this for a while?" James snorts, smiling.

**She continued in this vein for some time, until Wood said, "Er — Madam Hooch? Is it okay if Harry has the Firebolt back? We need to practice…"**

Snorts could be heard around the room at this sentence, some people shaking their heads as Madam Hooch blushed.

"**Oh — right — here you are, then, Potter," said Madam Hooch. "I'll sit over here with Weasley…" **

**She and Ron left the field to sit in the stadium, and the Gryffindor team gathered around Wood for his final instructions for tomorrow's match. **

"Quidditch!" James shouts as Lily shakes her head with a smirk, silencing him.

"**Harry, I've just found out who Ravenclaw is playing as Seeker. It's Cho Chang. She's a fourth year, and she's pretty good… I really hoped she wouldn't be fit, she's had some problems with injuries…" Wood scowled his displeasure that Cho Chang had made a full recovery, then said, "On the other hand, she rides a Comet Two Sixty, which is going to look like a joke next to the Firebolt." He gave Harry's broom a look of fervent admiration, then said, "Okay, everyone, let's go —" **

"I don't know how to feel about this paragraph," Cho says, cocking her head to the side slightly.

**And at long last, Harry mounted his Firebolt, and kicked off from the ground. **

Many of the quidditch fanatics moved closer in their chairs, anticipating the next scene.

**It was better than he'd ever dreamed. The Firebolt turned with the lightest touch; it seemed to obey his thoughts rather than his grip;**

"Holy shit," Hooch mutters, eyes wide in surprise.

-** it sped across the field at such speed that the stadium turned into a green-and-gray blur; Harry turned it so sharply that Alicia Spinnet screamed, then he went into a perfectly controlled dive, brushing the grassy field with his toes before rising thirty, forty, fifty feet into the air again — **

Many other Quidditch players stared at the book in surprise, wishing that they could be flying right now, before sighing.

"**Harry, I'm letting the Snitch out!" Wood called. **

**Harry turned and raced a Bludger toward the goal posts; he outstripped it easily, saw the Snitch dart out from behind Wood, and within ten seconds had caught it tightly in his hand. **

"Impressive," A slytherin mutters.

**The team cheered madly. Harry let the Snitch go again, gave it a minute's head start, then tore after it, weaving in and out of the others; he spotted it lurking near Katie Bell's knee, looped her easily, and caught it again. **

"Someone's a little broom happy," Someone snorts, as Harry smirks, trying not to blush at the sentence.

**It was the best practice ever; the team, inspired by the presence of the Firebolt in their midst, performed their best moves faultlessly, and by the time they hit the ground again, Wood didn't have a single criticism to make, which, as George Weasley pointed out, was a first. **

"What? It was!" George says, laughter in his eyes.

"**I can't see what's going to stop us tomorrow!" said Wood. "Not unless — Harry, you've sorted out your Dementor problem, haven't you?"  
**

"**Yeah," said Harry, thinking of his feeble Patronus and wishing it were stronger. **

"**The Dementors won't turn up again, Oliver. Dumbledore'd go ballistic," said Fred confidently. **

"**Well, let's hope not," said Wood. "Anyway — good work, everyone. Let's get back to the tower… turn in early…" **

"Good plan," Lily says for James, who is still silenced.

"**I'm staying out for a bit; Ron wants a go on the Firebolt," Harry told Wood, and while the rest of the team headed off to the locker rooms, Harry strode over to Ron, who vaulted the barrier to the stands and came to meet him. Madam Hooch had fallen asleep in her seat. **

"I had a tiring day!" Hooch snorts, shaking her head.

"**Here you go," said Harry, handing Ron the Firebolt. **

**Ron, an expression of ecstasy on his face, mounted the broom and zoomed off into the gathering darkness while Harry walked around the edge of the field, watching him. Night had fallen before Madam Hooch awoke with a start, told Harry and Ron off for not waking her, and insisted that they go back to the castle. **

"It could've been dangerous!" Hooch says, crossing her arms.

**Harry shouldered the Firebolt and he and Ron walked out of the shadowy stadium, discussing the Firebolt's superbly smooth action, it's phenomenal acceleration, and its pinpoint turning. They were halfway toward the castle when Harry, glancing to his left, saw something that made his heart turn over — a pair of eyes, gleaming out of the darkness.**

"Sirius!" Remus groans, shaking his head.

"What? It wasn't me!"

**Harry stopped dead, his heart banging against his ribs. **

"**What's the matter?" said Ron. **

**Harry pointed. Ron pulled out his wand and muttered, "**_**Lumos**_**!" **

**A beam of light fell across the grass, hit the bottom of a tree, and illuminated its branches; there, crouching among the budding leaves, was Crookshanks. **

"See?"

"**Get out of here!" Ron roared, and he stooped down and seized a stone lying on the grass, but before he could do anything else, Crookshanks had vanished with one swish of his long ginger tail. **

"**See?" Ron said furiously, chucking the stone down again. "She's still letting him wander about wherever he wants — probably washing down Scabbers with a couple of birds now…" **

**Harry didn't say anything. He took a deep breath as relief seeped through him; he had been sure for a moment that those eyes had belonged to the Grim. **

"Nope. Sorry kiddo," Sirius snorts.

**They set off for the castle once more. slightly ashamed of his moment of panic, Harry didn't say anything to Ron — nor did he look left or right until they had reached the well lit entrance hall.  
**

"There was nothing to be ashamed of, you know." Ron says, an eyebrow cocked as Harry shrugs.

**Harry went down to breakfast the next morning with the rest of the boys in his dormitory, all of whom seemed to think the Firebolt deserved a sort of guard of honor. As Harry entered the Great Hall, heads turned in the direction of the Firebolt, and there was a good deal of excited muttering. Harry saw, with enormous satisfaction, that the Slytherin team were all looking thunderstruck. **

"Yep!" Many people exclaim, their faces showing delight.

**"Did you see his face?" said Ron gleefully, looking back at Malfoy. "He can't believe it! This is brilliant!" **

"It truly was," Ron snorts, his eyes wide with gleam.

**Wood, too, was basking in the reflected glory of the Firebolt. **

"That's not surprising." Someone snorts.

"**Put it here, Harry," he said, laying the broom in the middle of the table and carefully turning it so that its name faced upward. People from the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were soon coming over to look. Cedric Diggory came over to congratulate Harry on having acquired such a superb replacement for his Nimbus, and Percy's Ravenclaw girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, asked if she could actually hold the Firebolt. **

"Someone's popular again!" James snorts, having been unsilenced a few minutes ago.

"**Now, now, Penny, no sabotage!" said Percy heartily as she examined the Firebolt closely. **

"You know, you essentially just said your girlfriend had dark magic," Charlie snorts, shaking his head as Percy blushes and glares.

"**Penelope and I have got a bet on," he told the team. "Ten Galleons on the outcome of the match!" **

**Penelope put the Firebolt down again, thanked Harry, and went back to her table. **

"**Harry — make sure you win," said Percy, in an urgent whisper. "**_**I haven't got ten Galleons**_**." **

Many people snorted at this sentence, realizing this is how bets usually went.

**"Yes, I'm coming, Penny!" And he bustled off to join her in a piece of toast. **

"Whipped," Someone says.

"**Sure you can manage that broom, Potter?" said a cold, drawling voice. **

"Sure you're not able to manage your own broom, Malfoy?" Lily snorts as Narcissa laughs and Lucius glares.

**Draco Malfoy had arrived for a closer look, Crabbe and Goyle right behind him. **

"Ah, his lackey's are nearby."

"**Yeah, reckon so," said Harry casually. **

"Can't let him think he's affecting me," Harry snorts.

"**Got plenty of special features, hasn't it?" said Malfoy, eyes glittering maliciously. "Shame it doesn't come with a parachute — in case you get too near a Dementor." Crabbe and Goyle sniggered. **

"Really not funny," Narcissa snorts, rolling her eyes.

"**Pity you can't attach an extra arm to yours, Malfoy," said Harry. "Then it could catch the Snitch for you." **

"That was funny," Narcissa states, as others snort and Draco glares at his mother.

**The Gryffindor team laughed loudly. Malfoy's pale eyes narrowed, and he stalked away. They watched him rejoin the rest of the Slytherin team, who put their heads together, no doubt asking Malfoy whether Harry's broom really was a Firebolt. **

More snorts were heard around the room, especially since the Slytherin's had been asking that exact question.

**At a quarter to eleven, the Gryffindor team set off for the locker rooms. The weather couldn't have been more different from their match against Hufflepuff. It was a clear, cool day with a very light breeze; there would be no visibility problems this time, and Harry, though nervous, was starting to feel the excitement only a Quidditch match could bring. **

As was James, who had gone back to being silenced due to his excitement, but this time, by his own son.

**They could hear the rest of the school moving into the stadium beyond. Harry took off his black school robes, removed his wand from his pocket, and stuck it inside the T-shirt he was going to wear under his Quidditch robes. He only hoped he wouldn't need it. He wondered suddenly whether Professor Lupin was in the crowd, watching.  
**

"Were you?" Lily asks, tilting her head.

"What do you think?" Remus smirks.

"**You know what we've got to do," said Wood as they prepared to leave the locker rooms. "If we lose this match, we're out of the running, just — just fly like you did in practice yesterday, and we'll be okay!" **

"It really was a brilliant practice," Fred says in awe as Ron nods and George grins. Harry smiles, remembering the practice himself, wishing things could go back to being so carefree and simple.

**They walked out onto the field to tumultuous applause. The Ravenclaw team, dressed in blue, were already standing in the middle of the field. Their Seeker, Cho Chang, was the only girl on their team. **

"That's not good," Sirius snorts as many people turn to look at the so-called prisoner.

"Why not?"

"He's a Potter, that's why." Hermione scoffs, rolling her eyes and grinning at Harry for Sirius.

**She was shorter than Harry by about a head, and Harry couldn't help noticing, nervous as he was, that she was extremely pretty.**

"See?" Sirius laughs as James chuckles himself.

**She smiled at Harry as the teams faced each other behind their captains, and he felt a slight lurch in the region of his stomach that he didn't think had anything to do with nerves.**

"Not good." Lily says as Hermione moves around slightly, feeling uncomfortable.

"**Wood, Davies, shake hands," Madam Hooch said briskly, and Wood shook hands with the Ravenclaw Captain. **

"**Mount your brooms… on my whistle… three — two — one —" **

**Harry kicked off into the air and the Firebolt zoomed higher and faster than any other broom; he soared around the stadium and began squinting around for the Snitch, listening all the while to the commentary, which was being provided by the Weasley twins' friend Lee Jordan. **

"Some of the best commentary, yet!" Ginny giggles as a few people look at her in confusion.

"**They're off, and the big excitement this match is the Firebolt that Harry Potter is flying for Gryffindor. According to **_**Which Broomstick**_**, the Firebolt's going to be the broom of choice for the national teams at this year's World Championship —" **

"Still can't believe –"

"No one can," Many students interrupt, shaking their heads.

"**Jordan, would you mind telling us what's going on in the match?" interrupted Professor McGonagall's voice. **

"**Right you are, Professor — just giving a bit of background information — the Firebolt, incidentally, has a built-in auto-brake and —" **

"Loving this kid," James snorts as Jordan beams.

"**Jordan!" **

"**Okay, okay, Gryffindor in possession, Katie Bell of Gryffindor, heading for goal…" **

**Harry streaked past Katie in the opposite direction, gazing around for a glint of gold and noticing that Cho Chang was tailing him closely. She was undoubtedly a very good flier — she kept cutting across him, forcing him to change direction. **

"That is a good thing to be doing," James says, impressed.

"**Show her your acceleration, Harry!" Fred yelled as he whooshed past in pursuit of a Bludger that was aiming for Alicia.  
**

"Always protecting me," Alicia says, fluttering her eyes as a joke to Fred, who grins and smirks.

**Harry urged the Firebolt forward as they rounded the Ravenclaw goal posts and Cho fell behind. Just as Katie succeeded in scoring the first goal of the match, and the Gryffindor end of the field went wild, he saw it — the Snitch was close to the ground, flitting near one of the barriers. **

"Whoo, go son!" James says, somehow no longer silenced.

**Harry dived; Cho saw what he was doing and tore after him — Harry was speeding up, excitement flooding him; dives were his specialty, he was ten feet away — Then a Bludger, hit by one of the Ravenclaw Beaters, came pelting out of nowhere; Harry veered off course, avoiding it by an inch, and in those few, crucial seconds, the Snitch had vanished. **

"Always the worst thing to happen," Someone says from somewhere within the great hall, as the other seekers nod their heads in agreement.

**There was a great "Ooooooh" of disappointment from the Gryffindor supporters, but much applause for their Beater from the Ravenclaw end. George Weasley vented his feelings by hitting the second Bludger directly at the offending Beater, who was forced to roll right over in midair to avoid it. **

Many people snorted at this line, James' snort being the loudest as his wife looked at him with love and happiness in her eyes as Snape looked on in disgust and jealousy.

"**Gryffindor leads by eighty points to zero, and look at that Firebolt go! Potter's really putting it through its paces now, see it turn — Chang's Comet is just no match for it, the Firebolt's precision — balance is really noticeable in these long —" **

"**JORDAN! ARE YOU BEING PAID TO ADVERTISE FIREBOLTS? GET ON WITH THE COMMENTARY!" **

"Awh Minnie, let him talk about the broomstick!" James says with a smirk.

**Ravenclaw was pulling back; they had now scored three goals, which put Gryffindor only fifty points ahead — if Cho got the Snitch before him, Ravenclaw would win. Harry dropped lower, narrowly avoiding a Ravenclaw Chaser, scanning the field frantically — a glint of gold, a flutter of tiny wings — the Snitch was circling the Gryffindor goal post… **

**Harry accelerated, eyes fixed on the speck of gold ahead — but just then, Cho appeared out of thin air, blocking him — **

"Harry, stop being a gentleman!" Hermione snaps as Harry arches his eyebrow.

"What are you going to be like when it comes to this year?" He whispers as Hermione blushes and shrugs.

"**HARRY, THIS IS NO TIME TO BE A GENTLEMAN!" Wood roared as Harry swerved to avoid a collision. "KNOCK HER OFF HER BROOM IF YOU HAVE TO!" **

A few people snorted at this sentence as Minerva shook her head and tried to hide her own laughter.

**Harry turned and caught sight of Cho; she was grinning. The Snitch had vanished again. **

**Harry turned his Firebolt upward and was soon twenty feet above the game. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cho following him… She'd decided to mark him rather than search for the Snitch herself… All right, then… if she wanted to tail him, she'd have to take the consequences… **

"Sounds kind of dirty," Ron grins as Hermione pouts and Harry laughs.

"'Mione—"

"Well, she's gorgeous. Of course I'm going to be self-conscious." She says as Harry's smile softens.

"But he chose you, Hermione." Cho says from her spot and Hermione looks up in surprise.

"She has a point, dear." Lily replies and Hermione closes her mouth, looking down.

**He dived again, and Cho, thinking he'd seen the Snitch, tried to follow; Harry pulled out of the dive very sharply; she hurtled downward; he rose fast as a bullet once more, and then saw it, for the third time — the Snitch was glittering way above the field at the Ravenclaw end. **

"How many versions of the Wronski Feint is that?" Sirius snorts as James looks on impressed.

**He accelerated; so, many feet below, did Cho. He was winning, gaining on the Snitch with every second — then —  
**

"**Oh!" screamed Cho, pointing. **

"Harry, do not, I repeat, do not look down!" James says

**Distracted, Harry looked down. **

"Harry!" James groans.

**Three Dementors, three tall, black, hooded Dementors, were looking up at him. **

"That's not right," Lily whispers, tilting her head in confusion as James looks at the book.

**He didn't stop to think. Plunging a hand down the neck of his robes, he whipped out his wand and roared, "**_**Expecto patronum**_**!" **

**Something silver-white, something enormous, erupted from the end of his wand. He knew it had shot directly at the Dementors but didn't pause to watch; his mind still miraculously clear, he looked ahead — he was nearly there.**

"That explains it then," James says, relaxing into his seat.

**He stretched out the hand still grasping his wand and just managed to close his fingers over the small, struggling Snitch. **

"YES!" James shouts, jumping up and down in excitement.

**Madam Hooch's whistle sounded. Harry turned around in midair and saw six scarlet blurs bearing down on him; next moment, the whole team was hugging him so hard he was nearly pulled off his broom. Down below he could hear the roars of the Gryffindors in the crowd. **

"It was a good game!" Neville interrupts, a smile on his face.

"**That's my boy!" Wood kept yelling. Alicia, Angelina, and Katie had all kissed Harry; Fred had him in a grip so tight Harry felt as though his head would come off. In complete disarray, the team managed to make its way back to the ground. Harry got off his broom and looked up to see a gaggle of Gryffindor supporters sprinting onto the field, Ron in the lead. Before he knew it, he had been engulfed by the cheering crowd. **

"It was fun." Harry says quietly as Sirius smiles at his godson and ruffles his hair.

"**Yes!" Ron yelled, yanking Harry's arm into the air. "Yes! Yes!" **

"**Well **_**done**_**, Harry!" said Percy, looking delighted. "Ten Galleons to me! Must find Penelope, excuse me —" **

A few snorts were heard around the room at this as Percy blushed.

"**Good for you, Harry!" roared Seamus Finnigan. **

"**Ruddy brilliant!" boomed Hagrid over the heads of the milling Gryffindors. **

"**That was quite some Patronus," said a voice in Harry's ear. **

"Scared me senseless,"

"Kind of…awkward,"

"It's something a girlfriend would say or –"

"Okay, enough!" Remus interrupts with a laugh.

**Harry turned around to see Professor Lupin, who looked both shaken and pleased. **

"Shaken, Remy?" James questions, arching an eyebrow.

"It was that time,"

"**The Dementors didn't affect me at all!" Harry said excitedly. "I didn't feel a thing!" **

"**That would be because they — er — weren't Dementors," said Professor Lupin. "Come and see —" **

"It does indeed make sense," Lily giggles.

**He led Harry out of the crowd until they were able to see the edge of the field. **

"**You gave Mr. Malfoy quite a fright," said Lupin. Harry stared. Lying in a crumpled heap on the ground were Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Marcus Flint, the Slytherin team Captain, all struggling to remove themselves from long, black, hooded robes.**

"They didn't?" Narcissa says with a roll of her eyes.

"Apparently they did, Cissy," Sirius replies as many eyebrows are arched and Sirius moves around slightly uncomfortable.

**It looked as though Malfoy had been standing on Goyle's shoulders. Standing over them, with an expression of the utmost fury on her face, was Professor McGonagall. **

"Damn right, I was furious." Minerva scowls, clenching her fists.**  
**

"**An unworthy trick!" she was shouting. "A low and cowardly attempt to sabotage the Gryffindor Seeker! Detention for all of you, and fifty points from Slytherin! I shall be speaking to Professor Dumbledore about this, make no mistake! Ah, here he comes now!" **

**If anything could have set the seal on Gryffindor's victory, it was this. Ron, who had fought his way through to Harry's side, doubled up with laughter as they watched Malfoy fighting to extricate himself from the robe, Goyle's head still stuck inside it. **

"**Come on, Harry!" said George, fighting his way over. "Party! Gryffindor common room, now!" **

"Parrrrty!" Many older students cheer as younger students scoff and some look on in curiosity.

"**Right," said Harry, and feeling happier than he had in ages, he and the rest of the team led the way, still in their scarlet robes, out of the stadium and back up to the castle. **

"Nothing can tear you guys down, now!" James says happily as Sirius cringes and looks towards Harry, who is smirking.

"I take it-?"

"Yep."

**It felt as though they had already won the Quidditch Cup; the party went on all day and well into the night.**

"My son the partier," Lily laughs, feeling exhilarated.

**Fred and George Weasley disappeared for a couple of hours and returned with armfuls of bottles of butterbeer, pumpkin fizz, and several bags full of Honeydukes sweets. **

"You didn't?" Molly scowls at the twins, who straighten their shoulders.

"We did. And we don't regret it for one second," They say, eyes narrowed at their mother, who openly glares.

"**How did you do that?" squealed Angelina Johnson as George started throwing Peppermint Toads into the crowd. **

"**With a little help from Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," Fred muttered in Harry's ear. **

"Awh yeah!" James chuckles, shaking his head in laughter as the twins grin at one another slightly.

**Only one person wasn't joining in the festivities. Hermione, incredibly, was sitting in a corner, attempting to read an enormous book entitled **_**Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles**_**. **

"But why?"

**Harry broke away from the table where Fred and George had started juggling butterbeer bottles and went over to her. **

"**Did you even come to the match?" he asked her. **

"**Of course I did," said Hermione in a strangely high-pitched voice, not looking up. "And I'm very glad we won, and I think you did really well, but I need to read this by Monday." **

"**Come on, Hermione, come and have some food," Harry said, looking over at Ron and wondering whether he was in a good enough mood to bury the hatchet. **

"I wanted my best friends to be happy, and celebrate with me, not sit alone in a corner!" Harry scowls.

"**I can't, Harry. I've still got four hundred and twenty-two pages to read!" said Hermione, now sounding slightly hysterical. "Anyway…" She glanced over at Ron too. "He doesn't want me to join in." **

**There was no arguing with this, as Ron chose that moment to say loudly, "If Scabbers hadn't just been **_**eaten**_**, he could have had some of those Fudge Flies. He used to really like them —"  
**

"Oh Jesus," Lily whispers the same time Molly goes, "See, they love each other."

**Hermione burst into tears. Before Harry could say or do anything, she tucked the enormous book under her arm, and, still sobbing, ran toward the staircase to the girls' dormitories and out of sight.  
**

"**Can't you give her a break?" Harry asked Ron quietly. **

"**No," said Ron flatly. "If she just acted like she was sorry — but she'll never admit she's wrong, Hermione. She's still acting like Scabbers has gone on vacation or something." **

"Well," Harry grins, slightly hysterical as Ron snorts.

**The Gryffindor party ended only when Professor McGonagall turned up in her tartan dressing gown and hair net at one in the morning, to insist that they all go to bed.**

"That sounds awesome!" Sirius chuckles.

**Harry and Ron climbed the stairs to their dormitory, still discussing the match. At last, exhausted, Harry climbed into bed, twitched the hangings of his four-poster shut to block out a ray of moonlight, lay back, and felt himself almost instantly drifting off to sleep… **

"Is it over?" Someone asks.

"Nope," Ron replies as many Gryffindors grimace and look back and forth between Harry and Sirius.

**He had a very strange dream. He was walking through a forest, his Firebolt over his shoulder, following something silvery-white. It was winding its way through the trees ahead, and he could only catch glimpses of it between the leaves. Anxious to catch up with it, he sped up, but as he moved faster, so did his quarry. Harry broke into a run, and ahead he heard hooves gathering speed. Now he was running flat out, and ahead he could hear galloping. Then he turned a corner into a clearing and — **

"Holy crap, he had a dream about me!" James whispers in awe.

"**AAARRGGHH! NOOO!" **

"What happened?" Someone says, eyes arched in confusion.

**Harry woke as suddenly as though he'd been hit in the face. Disoriented in the total darkness, he fumbled with his hangings, he could hear movements around him, and Seamus Finnigan's voice from the other side of the room. **

"**What's going on?" **

"That's my question exactly," James snorts, moving slightly.

**Harry thought he heard the dormitory door slam.**

"You did," Sirius snorts.

**At last finding the divide in his curtains, he ripped them back, and at the same moment, Dean Thomas lit his lamp. **

**Ron was sitting up in bed, the hangings torn from one side, a look of utmost terror on his face. **

"**Black! Sirius Black! With a knife!" **

"_WHAT_?" James shouts in shock as his eyes go wide.

"_**What**_**?" **

"**Here! Just now! Slashed the curtains! Woke me up!" **

"**You sure you weren't dreaming, Ron?" said Dean. **

"**Look at the curtains! I tell you, he was here!" **

**They all scrambled out of bed; Harry reached the dormitory door first, and they sprinted back  
down the staircase. Doors opened behind them, and sleepy voices called after them.  
**

"**Who shouted?"**

"**What're you doing?" **

**The common room was lit with the glow of the dying fire, still littered with the debris from the party. It was deserted. **

"We were very confused—"

"We didn't know what the hell was going on—"

"But we were definitely curious enough," Many people interrupt, others nodding their heads.

"**Are you **_**sure **_**you weren't dreaming, Ron?"**

"**I'm telling you, I saw him!" **

"**What's all the noise?" **

"**Professor McGonagall told us to go to bed!" **

**A few of the girls had come down their staircase, pulling on dressing gowns and yawning. Boys, too, were reappearing. **

"It was very loud," Someone snorts.

"**Excellent, are we carrying on?" said Fred Weasley brightly. **

"**Everyone back upstairs!" said Percy, hurrying into the common room and pinning his Head Boy badge to his pajamas as he spoke. **

"Oh my Merlin," Someone snorts.

"**Perce — Sirius Black!" said Ron faintly. "In our dormitory! With a knife! Woke me up!" **

**The common room went very still. **

"**Nonsense!" said Percy, looking startled. "You had too much to eat, Ron — had a nightmare —" **

"**I'm telling you —" **

"**Now, really, enough's enough!" **

"That's Minnie, isn't it?"

**Professor McGonagall was back. She slammed the portrait behind her as she entered the common room and stared furiously around. **

"**I am delighted that Gryffindor won the match, but this is getting ridiculous! Percy, I expected better of you!" **

"**I certainly didn't authorize this, Professor!" said Percy, puffing himself up indignantly. "I was just telling them all to get back to bed! My brother Ron here had a nightmare —" **

"**IT WASN'T A NIGHTMARE!" Ron yelled. "PROFESSOR, I WOKE UP, AND SIRIUS BLACK WAS STANDING OVER ME, HOLDING A KNIFE!"**

Professor McGonagall stared at him.

**"Don't be ridiculous, Weasley, how could he possibly have gotten through the portrait hole?" **

"Good point," James says, eyes still very wide in surprise.

"**Ask him!" said Ron, pointing a shaking finger at the back of Sir Cadogan's picture. "Ask him if he saw —" **

**Glaring suspiciously at Ron, Professor McGonagall pushed the portrait back open and went outside. The whole common room listened with bated breath. "Sir Cadogan, did you just let a man enter Gryffindor Tower?" **

"**Certainly, good lady!" cried Sir Cadogan. **

**There was a stunned silence, both inside and outside the common room.**

"**You — you **_**did**_**?" said Professor McGonagall. "But — but the password!" **

"**He had 'em!" said Sir Cadogan proudly. "Had the whole week's, my lady! Read 'em off a little piece of paper!" **

"Oh no, Neville." Lily groans as James grimaces and Sirius chuckles lightly.

**Professor McGonagall pulled herself back through the portrait hole to face the stunned crowd. She was white as chalk. **

"**Which person," she said, her voice shaking, "which abysmally foolish person wrote down this week's passwords and left them lying around?" **

**There was utter silence, broken by the smallest of terrified squeaks. Neville Longbottom, trembling from head to fluffy slippered toes, raised his hand slowly into the air.**

"You really need to get your memory checked, mate." Someone says as the book is closed and Albus lets it float away from him.


End file.
